My dark eyed wallflower
by In2lalaland
Summary: Duo takes his socially awkward boyfriend with him to meet his family. It's going to be a visit filled with jealousy, senile old woman, creepy ex-boyfriends and brothers with only one goal - embarrassing the hell out of him. 2x5x2 AU
1. The journey and the jealousy

If you haven't, you might want to read part one before you start reading this one. Part one is called "The siren call of the braid in the middle row" and is in Wufei's POW.

Now, on to the story.

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Chapter 1 (The journey and the jealousy)

Duo turned off the engine and leaned back in his seat. Wufei gave him a quick smile as he stepped out of the car with one arm full of cat food and the other gripping annoyed cat. Precious glared at him over his boyfriend's shoulder. 'Damn that cat hates me' he thought as he watched them disappeared into the house. They were just here to leave the cat with Wufei's grandmother before going to see his family over Christmas. It was going to be a long road home. Four hours by car, but mentally Duo was going to travel light years. It wasn't that he didn't like his family or wasn't looking forward to seeing them, but there was still something that made him dread the whole thing.

Someone had once told him that when you went back home you automatically became the person that you were back when you were living there. He prayed that it wasn't true. He did not particularly like the person he had been back then and would ratter die then to act like that in front of Wufei. Because then his beautiful lover would definitively leave him.

That he hadn't done so already was a pleasant surprise. They had been dating for almost two months now and Wufei had shown no indications of being sick of him. God should know that he had enough bad qualities to make any man start running.

One of his biggest flaws had always been that he was -very- affectionate and liked to touch the people he loved as much as he could as often as he could. It had driven his exes up the wall and he had found himself dumped more than once for it. But not only that, he was also impulsive, loud and prone to unmotivated jealousy.

The jealousy was something he had tried to control for years, but without result. Duo knew that it wasn't normal to be this territorial over your lover, but he couldn't stop. This was something that had gotten him into a lot of arguments with his old lovers. They got angry because they thought that he didn't trust them when he constantly wanted to know where they were going and who they were going to see. Not to mention his paranoia every time he saw his lover even talk to another man or any other situation that even hinted at infidelity.

Unfortunately his new lover was no exception. The first time he had gotten jealous over Wufei had been just two days after they had gotten together. They had been at the mall and Duo had walked over to the cash register to pay for a shirt. While he had been standing in line he had glanced over his shoulder and seen a tall blond woman run up to his boyfriend and press him onto her generous bust. Wufei hadn't resisted, only smiled and hugged her back. Then the woman had kissed him! He realized later that he really was too far away to see if she had kissed his mouth or cheek, but right then he had seen red. Fortunately for the woman she had run off before Duo had gotten over there. He had been angry and disappointed, something he let his lover know in detail. Wufei had just looked at him like he was a strange creature from another planet. But when he realized that, yes Duo was serious and yes he was jealous, he did something that Duo had never gotten as a reaction to one of his confrontations before. He started to laugh.

Duo hadn't known what to do. He had just stood in the middle of the clothing store and stared at his almost hysterically laughing boyfriend. When Wufei finally had calmed down the shorter man had wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled his head down to his. There he had whispered that Ellen was just a friend and that he would never cheat on him for anything in the world but he thought it was very cute that he would think that. Wufei then proceeded to kiss him senseless, uncaring for the people around them. Duo had forgotten all about his jealousy and smiled like a loon for the rest of the day.

But unfortunately, that had not been the only time.

The last time it had happened had been just yesterday when the gang had gone out for an early Christmas celebration at a restaurant. They had been celebrating that all of them had managed to pass the test. The food had been good and everything had been going fine... until Wufei had left the table to go to the bathroom. Duo had looked up after a while and seen a guy flirting outrageously with his boyfriend and had immediately felt the familiar green monster take over him as he marched over to them. He had been half a step away from doing something rash, but one look into Wufei's eyes had taken the wind straight out of his sails. He had looked so happy to see him that Duo had just melted at the sight. There was no guilt at being caught, (probably because he hadn't realized that he was being picked up) he had just proudly presented Duo as his lover to the disappointed looking guy. Duo had to fight hard not to let a smug smirk stretch across his face. 'That's right fucker, he's mine.' Was the very caveman thought that went through his head.

Duo was Wufei's first relationship, not to mention first lover. He was pretty much Wufei's first everything, something that made a guilty part of him feel very satisfied. No one had ever touched that soft skin of that beautiful body or kissed those lips and if Duo could have it his way, no one ever would... So he was a bit of a possessive bastard, but who could blame him with a boyfriend like that?

Bree had been a bit disapproving of their relationship at first because she thought that Wufei was a bit of a push-over and that Duo would take advantage of that. The braided man realized that it probably looked like that on the surface, but he knew better. If there was anyone "wearing the pants" in this relationship, it was Wufei. Duo was pretty much just following his lover around like he was on a leash and loving every second of it.

It was true that Wufei would let him get away with a lot of things and that he often let people have their way, but if there was something that he did not want to do, there was no way in hell you could ever make him do it. Duo had tried to get him to go to the gym with him once but Wufei had refused. So he had started to beg, nag and more or less made a total pest out of himself until he realized that Wufei wasn't going to bend. He was very black and white in that way. No meant no and yes meant yes, there was no middle ground. This was pretty much a new concept for Duo. In his previous relationships with a lover or a fuck buddy he could often get his way by begging, briberies or sexual favors. So it took him a while to get into his head that Wufei would agree to everything he wanted up to a certain line and after that there was nothing that could make him change his mind. But on the other hand, Duo hadn't found that many things that Wufei wouldn't do. The things he refused to do was mostly things like, sneaking into the cinema or going to the gym. So in those cases they had solved it by paying for their tickets and Duo skipped the gym and had followed his lover when he went swimming instead...and hadn't that been an experience.

They had gone on a Saturday afternoon which was a bit of a high time for swimmers. Wufei usually went swimming during odd times to avoid crowds, something that Duo approved of the second they stepped inside the poolroom. Far too many girls and quite a few men had let their eyes follow Wufei's lean form as he walked towards the pool. Duo barely managed to restrain himself from molesting his boyfriend in front of everyone to mark his territory. But once again his jealousy was totally unnecessary as Wufei, totally oblivious to his surrounding and the way people was looking at him, had taken his hand and asked him if they should get something to eat after their swimming. The smug smile had been impossible to hold in as the girls looked at him in envy and the speedo clad Wufei laced their fingers together, totally unaware of the battle being held over his tight ass.

At times like that it felt good to be a possessive bastard no matter what Bree said about him. But Duo couldn't blame her for being worried about Wufei. The redhead had grown up in his old home town and he was very aware of what kind of reputation he had back there. Maxwell the player, the fuckaholic, the butt slut, the floozie, the relationship breaker, the man eater, yeah he had heard them all.

It was true that Duo was a lot more experienced then Wufei, not to mention that he was almost six years older. But in his eyes that wasn't necessarily something that gave him any advantages in their relationship, but instead it was more like something thet held him back. Duo had been in and out of relationships since he had lost his virginity at fifteen and none had lasted longer then a few months. The longest had been with Stephen who had refused to be open with their relationship. Those nine months of sneaking around had been among the worst in his life. He had been jealous almost non stop the whole time. Nine months of pretending to be "just a friend" in public while he watched his boyfriend flirt with just about every girl that came along had just broken his heart. Not to mention the pain and the guilt he had felt when his boyfriend would blow up in his face every time Duo tried to explain just why his flirting around hurt him so much. But Stephen had been his first serious relationship so he had just put up with it. Nineteen and stupid was his only excuse. Looking back he realized that this was probably one of the reasons why he got jealous so easily and always thought the worst of every suggestive situation involving his boyfriends. Especially considering that he had found out (after Stephen had dumped him for being too clingy) that he had been cheating on him with god knows how many women. That really was not a good thing to build a new relationship on.

It was always the same. Duo would meet someone. They would have sex. They would let it be a one night stand or (if he was lucky) they would start dating. The dating would go on until the guy would ether get sick of Duo's need to touch him all the time, his personality or Duo's jealously that reared it's ugly head over and over again. Then Duo would get dumped. He had never dumped anyone in his life. He was always the one that got the 'this is not working for me' speech, so putting his heart out as much as he was doing with Wufei was really not something he would do with just anyone.

He knew that he might put a bit too much faith in Wufei but he just couldn't help himself. Because he felt like it was going to be alright, like he could trust Wufei. Duo wasn't normally one to trust people with himself. Sure, he could talk and joke around with just about everyone and appear like he was the most open person to ever set foot on the planet. But when it came to his heart and trust he was more reserved.

But for some reason he couldn't stop himself from showering Wufei with everything he had. Those dark eyes just demanded that he didn't hold anything back and so far he hadn't scared his beautiful lover off. Not only that but Wufei had gone into their relationship already knowing what type of person Duo was. It was all Duo could do to stop himself from buying his love a engagement ring for Christmas.

Friends turned lovers was not something that had ever worked for Duo before. He hadn't planed for them to be friends at first but the Asian proved to be a bit of a challenge.

The first time he had seen Wufei had been when the man had been walking up the stairs in the lecture hall. The thing that caught his attention had been his shoulder long dark hair that had been hanging freely over his face. You didn't see that many guys with long hair, especially in the "accountant training" as they called it. He had been trying to see the man's face when he suddenly had looked up and Duo had looked straight into deep dark eyes. It felt like all the air got sucked out of his lungs and Duo could only stare as the eyes quickly looked away, disappear behind that long hair and their owner hurried away. At first he had thought of just doing his usual "Are you gay? Do you want to have sex with me?" It worked surprisingly often. But Wufei had just sent this vibe of -stay away from me- that he couldn't ignore. The vibe actually made him more interesting but with that also came the fact that Duo felt very out of his dept. Wufei wasn't really his usual "type." He usually went for the pumped up and brainless guys not the small, intelligent and unearthly beautiful ones. He didn't know what to say to him or how to approach him. He almost felt... shy. Duo couldn't remember being shy since he was a teenager but there it was. So he had talked Tom into asking him to join their study group. He had done his happy dance in the middle of the street when Tom had called him just ten minutes after he left the university to tell him that 'dark eyes' was named 'Wofei' and was going to be at his apartment the next day.

He had been so nervous before the first meeting. He had been convinced that he was going to do or say something stupid. Wufei had seemed so intelligent, controlled and serious, which was so not his type and therefore was so out of his comfort zone. But then Wufei had met Kim and Duo could hardly believe his eyes. The guy that used crayons to draw statistic curves and joked around with the five year old redhead could almost not be compared with the serious looking guy in the lecture hall. Duo realized later on that he had probably fallen in love with him back then without even knowing it. Too bad that he hadn't been able to bring himself to talk to him then. The next meeting had gone better and he had gotten to not only see a whole new side of the darker man but also a chance to talk to him (he owed Precious big time). He had wanted to see and know more about him and before he knew it, they had been friends. He had almost decided not to endanger their friendship. Things could go so very wrong, especially if Wufei was straight, that it wouldn't be worth it. So friendship was all he was going for. That had been the plan... until he had discovered Wufei's fascination with his hair.

They had been waiting for the bus and he had been swinging his braid back and forth in boredom. He had glanced down at his friend and found Wufei staring at the osillating braid like he was in a trance. At first he had though that it was just a one time occurrence but since then he had noticed Wufei's eyes following his hair more and more often. If he took on a jacket and pulled the braid out so it wouldn't get stuck, Wufei's whole attention would follow the flying braid like a dog watching a stick being thrown. If he played with the end of the braid, Wufei's would pretend to look at something else, only to glance over at him in the corner of his eye and if he 'accidentally' let the hairtie slip off, Wufei's eyes would go wide and his fingers would start to twitch. That... combined with Tom telling him about how Wufei kept checking out his ass every chance he got, convinced him to give it a try.

He had thought about bringing the subject up in a more... elegant way then he did usually. Maybe ask him on a date. A nice dinner and a movie. Maybe take a walk in the park and act like a gentleman. But in the end he had been too scared to do it. Having someone turn down sex did not hurt as much as having a date proposal denied. Dates were serious. Sex was just sex. So he had taken the easy way out and asked for sex instead. But damn, that was some sex. For a virgin, Wufei sure picked up the basics fast.

Then the next day, lying there on top of his new lover, he kept thinking how much he wanted to stay like just like that and how much he wanted to keep this wonderful man. So in the end he had managed to get over his fears long enough to ask Wufei out. And he had said yes. Just thinking about it made Duo grin like a loon.

The door of the passenger seat opened and Wufei climbed in.

He took one look at him and asked, "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing, just thinking." He said happily before he leaned forward to give his beautiful lover a kiss.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Hi, I hope you liked it.

If you did/didn't could you please tell me? (especially what you thought about Duo?)

I would be vey happy if you took the time :)

Please?


	2. Welcome home Babycheeks

Chapter 2 (Welcome home Baby cheeks)

If there was something Wufei knew how to do, it was sleeping. They had barely gotten out of town before the Asian had been out like a light.

Duo took a quick look at his sleeping lover and smiled gently. The darker man looked like he didn't have a care in the world where he was curled up against the car door. If only that was true because in their own way they were both a bit damaged. Duo by his earlier relationships and Wufei by petty people.

His boyfriend really had a pretty screwed up self image according to the braided man. In beginning of their relationship Wufei had been a bit restless, like he expected Duo to come to his senses any second and walk away. So Duo's tendency to cling had for once been a good thing because it proved to Wufei that he wanted to be with him. Duo was in heaven. He could act like a octopus and be all over his lover all the time, anywhere and Wufei would just smile and let him.

'Not only that but he would be happy about it.' the thought made him grin and he took a limp hand in his and stroked the soft skin. Duo could probably push his lover up against a wall in the mall and suck on his tonsils and Wufei would just go with it and then roll his eyes at him with a smile when he was done. This was very liberating for Duo since almost all of his earlier lovers hadn't been able to handle the touching and had gotten upset with him when he had pushed it. He knew he had mostly been doing it because he was feeling insecure but he hadn't been able to stop. The more they protested, the greater the urge to cling got. Anyone with half a brain understood that a relationship like that could never work. So Duo got dumped. Again and again.

And if he was lucky and found someone that could overlook the clinging and the jealousy they wouldn't be able to handle his personality. Duo had almost started to consider himself doomed to spend his life alone before he found Wufei.

Wufei was kind and smart and, god help him, so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. But he didn't know it! Duo had hardly believed it when he realized how bad Wufei's self confidence really was. One small guilty part of him was cheering over his own good luck while the rest of him just wanted to cry when he thought about what he must have gone through to get that kind of self image. Wufei hadn't said anything straight out but every now and then he would let something slip that insinuated how his life had been. Things like racist teachers, prejudicial neighbors and bullying classmates painted an ugly picture of a child who grew up alone and if he was lucky, overlooked. Duo questioned the sanity of everyone that could even think about hurting the gentle man. Duo sighed and looked over at the man sleeping next to him. He looked so sweet and innocent sitting there. Not to mention sexy.

As if responding to his thoughts, Wufei moaned low in his throat and his hip made a very distinct movement.

Duo licked his lips and tightened his grip on the wheel as he forced his eyes back on the road.

Wufei started to pant faster and faster as his right hand started to travel down his body to settle over his crotch.

Duo reminded himself to breathe.

Wufei whimpered loudly and desperately and he threw his head back as far as it would go.

Duo swallowed thickly and rearranged himself in his suddenly tight pants.

Wufei groaned his lover's name.

Duo took the next exit and parked the car.

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Half an hour later Duo very carefully sat his tender ass down in the driver seat again. 'Damn, this is going to be uncomfortable... But it was wort it.' He thought as he looked over at his very satisfied looking lover.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Wufei started to grow more and more agitated.

"How much longer is it?"

"About forty five minutes."

"... Okay."

"Relax Wu. It's going to be fine."

Wufei did not look convinced

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo slammed the car door closed and re-arranged his grip on the shopping bag. He walked around the car and up to his boyfriend who was standing awkwardly on the newly shoveled pat leading up to the house.

"We're not going to stay long. We are just going to say hello and leave the bag of ingredients for my grandmother." He said calmly as he stroked his boyfriend's rigid back.

"I'm just a bit nervous." Wufei confessed as he glanced up at the house. Duo could admit that his grandparents house probably looked a bit intimidating if you weren't used to it. Three floors, two garages, one guest house and a huge dog pen.

"There is no reason to be nervous. They are going to love you. I swear."

Wufei sighed and shuffled his feet. "I hope so."

"Aww, you are going to be fine sweetheart." He said and swiped the end of his braid over the other's nose.

Wufei chuckled. "Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, why not. It suits you. You are all heart and just the sweetest thing ever... and let's not forget pink." He smiled as he watched his boyfriend roll his eyes. "Speaking of pink. I am starting to wonder about your fascination with that color."

"I own one pink pen. I wouldn't call it a fascination " The Asian defended himself.

"It is if that pen is the only one you ever use." Duo shot back.

Wufei smiled. "I only use it when I'm happy."

"So you only have happy days?"

"... Lately? Yes." He said and gave him that 'look' with those lovely dark eyes, like Duo was the answer to all his troubles. Like he was the most beautiful thing in the world to him. Like he had been waiting all his life for Duo to find him. The look that always made Duo's knees feel a little weak and his heart beat faster.

"Oh." Was all he managed to say as Wufei took his hand and led him towards the house.

Duo smiled as he saw his grandfather walk out of the garage with a shovel in his hand. He was wearing a dark green jacket and his orange hunter hat. It was the same clothes that Duo could remember him wearing a thousand times when he was a child.

"Duo, hello. Here already?" His grandfather said before wrapping his arms around him.

Duo hugged the old man tightly before releasing him with a smile. "Yeah, grandma wanted me to stop by with some ingredients that she needed for her baking" He flicked his head towards the shopping bag.

"More baking? The damned women just won't stop." The old man grumbled but it was with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, she is going to need all those cookies when the kids get here. Speaking of getting here, you are going to be the first one to meet my boyfriend. Grandpa, this is Wufei Chang, Wufei this is my grandfather Harry Maxwell."

The Chinese managed to lift his eyes from the snow covered ground and reach out his hand. "Nice to meet you." He mumbled shyly.

The old man shook his hand with a grin. "The same. It's good to finally meet you. I believe everyone is a bit curious about you."

Wufei looked up. "Oh?"

"Yeah, you are the first one that he ever brought over so you really must be something special."

"He is." Duo answered and smiled down on his embarrassed looking boyfriend.

Harry patted his grandson on the back. "That's good. Now get inside before that blasted woman comes looking for you. She's probably been standing in the hallway since you parked the car."

Duo laughed and took his lover's hand as he led him towards the house. They had barely made it up the steps before the door swung open and an elderly woman came out.

"Duo, my heart, it's good to see you."

Duo smiled gently as he hugged her. He took a deep breath and smelled cinnaman cookies and his grandmother. "Hi grandma."

The woman looked around her grandson and sett her eyes on Wufei. "And this must be the boyfriend that I've heard so much about."

Duo blinked. "Yeah it is, but where have you heard 'so much about him' I haven't talked to you for ages?"

"Your mother, who else? Come in both of you. Do you want something to eat?"

Duo grinned at the expected question. "Sorry but I told mom that we would eat with them. Solo and Tres is going to come over too."

"Well you have time for a cookie and some coffee. Come on now." She said and more or less dragged both of them with her inside.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

By the time the both men had been able to leave the old woman's kitchen, none of them wanted to eat ever again. Duo didn't know how his grandmother did it, but she could always make you eat until you couldn't eat any more... and then some more. How on earth they were going to handle dinner with his parents was a mystery. A mystery they were soon going to get an answer to.

Duo parked the car outside his parents house and looked over at his boyfriend who had turned alarmingly pale.

"You okay Wu?"

"Yeah, fine." He whispered.

Duo was far from convinced. He un-buckled his sear belt and climbed over to Wufei's seat to settled down in his lap.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong five-fly?" He asked softly.

Wufei's lips twitched but he didn't speak. Instead he wrapped his arms around his Duo's waist and hid his face in his chest. "I'm not very good at meeting new people." He mumbled.

"You are going to be just fine."

Wufei released a long breath. "How many are there going to be in the house?"

"Mom, dad, Solo, Q-bean, Tres and possibly his wife Molly."

Wufei swallowed thickly. "Okay."

"Solo and Tres live in town so they wont be staying the night. Q will ether be locked in her room or out with her friends."

"The parents."

"Yeah, just the parents. Relax, mom already loves you and if you just mention that you like Mythbusters you will have dad, not to mention Solo, wrapped around your finger."

Wufei laughed slightly and relaxed his shoulders. "They like the show too?"

Duo snorted. "Yeah, they both love it. Solo teaches chemistry and physics over at the high school and dad's just weird. They even tried to build some of the stuff they had on the show in the garage."

Wufei looked up from his hiding place. "Really? What did they build?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "I don't know. It was some kind of cannon thing. They were shooting tennis bolls all over the place." At the sight of the excited look in his boyfriend's eyes, Duo groaned. "I can't believe that this is what made you un-freak. I swear I'm going to find out what's so special about that show some day."

Wufei's lips twitched. "What? Besides Adam's ass?"

The braided man rolled his eyes once again. "Somehow I don't think Solo and my father are watching the show to see his ass."

"You never know."

Duo grimaced. "You did not just say that. I'm going to pretend that you didn't."

Wufei just shrugged with a slightly evil smile.

Duo stuck his tongue out at him. "Shut up. Come on, let's get the bags and go inside."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Hi mom."

"Babycheeks! Welcome home honey." Duo's mother said with huge happy smile as Duo and Wufei stepped through the front door.

A just about identical smile spread over Duo's face as he was pulled into his mother's arms. It had been far too long since he had been here and it was good to be home again. As he remembered Wufei he stepped away from his mother to turn her attention to the other man standing in the hallway.

"And this is Wufei." He wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and pulled him a bit forward from where he had been trying to hide behind him. Wufei's eyes went wide when he too was embraced by Duo's overjoyed mother.

"It so nice to see you. I'm Suzanna but just call me Suz, everyone does. We have heard so much about you. Come in, come in. I hope you had a nice drive. It's such a long journey up here. You have to have something to entertain yourself with or you are going to be bored out of your mind."

By the darkening color of the Asians cheeks Duo knew he was thinking about a especially entertaining part of the trip.

"Y-yes, thank you. I ehm, slept most of the way." Wufei said as he used the excuse to hang up his coat in a desperate attempt to hid his face.

"You did the right thing. You are going to need your energy in this house. Come on, the others are in the living room." His mother turned away and Duo couldn't help himself from treating himself with a quick grope of Wufei´s jeans clad ass to show him just what he would need the energy for. Wufei gave him a glare over his shoulder that was totally spoiled by his amused smile.

They walked into the living room where Duo was met with manly hugs and back slaps from his two brothers.

"It's good to see you. You have been hiding for too long." Solo smiled before he looked over at Wufei. He gave the Asian a curious once over. "And this must be Wofei."

"WU-fei, more u then o." Duo cut in.

Solo blinked. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone."

Wufei cleared his throat. "You didn't, it's just that he kind of appointed himself to be the champion for the right pronunciation of my name."

Tres held his hand out to Wufei. "Now that is something I can sympathize with, wrong pronunciations are just annoying. I'm Tres, one 'e' no 'h'. It's nice to meet you. Now what I want to know is if you have heard any embarrassing stories about the braided idiot yet." Tres asked with grin.

Wufei's eyes twinkled. "A few, but I have a feeling that you have a few that you want to share?"

The younger brothers smile turned slightly evil. "Oh, you got that right."

"Come on bro, what did I ever do to you?" Duo asked in a desperate voice.

"First time I brought Molly home for dinner a certain someone told her every embarrassing thing that I had ever done since the day I was born, ring any bells?"

Duo swallowed thickly while Tres smiled wickedly. "I told you that you were going to pay and now, almost nine years later, it's payback time."

"Come on, like you said, it was nine years ago. Forgive and forget, right? Not to mention that she married you. So it couldn't have been that bad since she didn't run away."

"And if you are lucky neither will he." He glared and turned to the amused Wufei. "Now, Mr Chang. Have a seat so that we can begin."

Wufei did as he was told and sat down on one of the couches.

Tress cleared his throat. "Where to begin, there are so many to chose between... Oh! I'm sure that you have wondered about that scar that he has on his ass." Tress sent his brother a evil leer but Duo just smiled.

"The one from the raccoon? I've already heard it from Duo." Wufei said calmly and motioned for his boyfriend to sit down next to him.

Tress gaped in surprise. "Em, right... Well than there is... I bet you haven't heard about his first camping trip."

"When he drank too much coke and peed in his sleeping bag?"

"He told you that?" Tress gaped.

"Ages ago. I think that was before we even got together." He turned to Duo, who nodded.

Tress thought for a second. "The time he crashed his snowmobile?"

Wufei snorted. "Which time? As far as I know he has done it at least three times."

Tress shook his head. "No, only two."

A soft cough was heard. "It was actually three times. First time was with dad's snowmobile when I was seven. I was so embarrassed that I didn't tell anyone." Duo cut in with a sheepish smile.

Tress stared at the couple on the couch. "Well, this was a bit of a disappointment. But I can't have told you all of them. Second grade-"

"Flashed the cafeteria?" Wufei guessed.

Tress blinked. "Yeah... but what about." Tress stopped and looked over his shoulder before continuing in a lower voice. "The time he got caught shoplifting."

Wufei laughed. "Yeah, that one was actually pretty funny."

Duo poked his boyfriend in the side. "Funny? I was scared to death."

Solo who had kept back to observe the humiliation of Duo joined the conversation. "And for a good reason. Imagine what would have happened if they had called home like they said they would."

Duo shivered. "Now that's a scary thought. Mom would have killed me."

"Why would she kill you?" A voice asked from behind them.

A choir of 'Nothing!" "No reason!" "None of your business!" was heard from the three brothers as they turned to look at their little sister.

The blond girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Hi, Duo."

"Hey Q-bean. What, no hug?" He asked with wide eyes as he got to his feet.

The teenager sighed but walked over to get her hug.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Duo asked with a grin. "Q, this is my boyfriend Wufei Chang, Wu this blond little hurricane is Quadra-Ow!, shit not so hard." Duo wined and rubbed his shin.

"You had it coming." She said said and shoved Tres to make him move over so that she could sit down.

"So, Wufei. Duo told me that you were a Mythbusters fan." Solo said as he rubbed his hands in excitement.

Wufei's eyes lit up and they were off.

Duo decided to tune out the conversation for the sake of his own sanity. He took a look around the room. It looked just the same as it always had, in exception of the fact that the fire place had been cleaned and the Christmas decorations that were spread all over the room. There were small Santa figurines lined up on every surface and angles hanging from the ceiling. The windows had deep red curtains and Duo could see the colorful Christmas light shining outside. The dark had started to fall and they were soon one day closer to the family gathering.

It was hard to tell if he was looking forward to it or not. He really liked his family, they were nice people but at the same time he knew that he was the black sheep of the Maxwell clan. It wasn't just the gay thing. Most of his relatives had gotten over that one pretty fast. It was more the way he lived his life.

He had spent years doing nothing. He worked stray jobs all over the place but none longer then a few months. He had worked as everything from bartender to gardener. Not to mention those five weeks when he had worked as a stripper that he just wanted to forget.

He had lived in a rundown apartment in the bad part of town and spent the most of his time partying and having sex with anyone that was interested.

So while everyone else showed up at the family with new born babies and promotions he had a couple of new ex-boyfriends and another dead end job.

He hadn't started at the university until he was twenty-five. By then his two brothers and most of his cousins at the same age had well payed jobs, rings on their fingers and children. So yeah, he was the loser in this family. Duo knew that most thought that he was going to flunk out off the and go back to being a slacker. And if there was anything this family didn't like, it was slackers.

Solo had been a bit of a outcast when he had decided to become a high school teacher instead of a university professor but it was still a job for intelligent people so it had been accepted.

He loved his family, he did. They just had standards that he couldn't live up to. He wondered how they were going to react to Wufei? Some would probably think that he had paid him off to act as his boyfriend.

Duo looked over at Tres who had amused look on his face. 'What?' he mouthed. His brother grinned and nodded his head downwards. Duo looked down and realized that he had more or less pulled his boyfriend into his lap. He had one arm wrapped around him and the other on his hip where his hand had a tight grip on Wufei's belt loop. This made is impossible for the Asian to sit straight so he had no choice but to lean back against Duo's chest. Duo knew that he was being clingy because he was nervous and that he should let go, but Wufei didn't look bothered so he didn't. Instead he pulled the other man just a little closer and was rewarded with a smile and a hand on his own that had started to make slow calming circles on his skin. Duo felt himself relax muscles that he hadn't even been aware of tensing. He kissed his boyfriends temple in thanks and joined the conversation as much as he could.

A couple of minutes later someone cleared their throat from the doorway. "Can someone please come and help me cut up the meat for dinner?" His mother called out in a tone of voice that told you that it was not a request, it was a order.

"I'll help." Wufei spoke up and untangled himself from his pouting boyfriend.

The tall woman frowned. "Oh no. You are a guest in this house. Let one of my lazy kids get themselves moving instead."

"I don't mind. I'm good with meat ." He smile crookedly.

"Well then, if you are sure." She said and waved him along with her through the corridor and into the kitchen. Duo let his eyes follow his boyfriend's back until it disappeared around the corner.

"So he is nice, smart, can apparently cook and for some reason he likes you. It must be a match made in heaven." Solo snickered but Duo let the teasing fly straight over his head as he simply smiled widely. "Yeah."

"Oh, he's got it bad." Quatraginta teased. "So for us who have only heard mom's gossip version, how did you meet him?"

"We are are the same class but we didn't really meet until he joined my study group."

"And then what happened?" Quatraginta leaned over the end of the couch and with a attentive look in her eyes.

"We became friends and I... asked him out. He said yes and here we are." Duo said with a smile.

The blond girl looked disappointed. "That's it?"

Her brother nodded. "That's it."

"That wasn't much of a romantic story."

Duo snorted. "This is real life, not a romantic novel."

"Wasn't there at least some kind of big misunderstanding or some unveiling secrets."

Duo glanced over at his eager looking sister. "Have you been reading mom's romance novels again... or is this a fanfiction thing?"

Big eyes blinked innocently. "What?"

"It sounds like... Hey! You are fishing for yaoi stories, aren't you?!"

Quatraginta sighed. "I have a bit of a writer's block. Is it too much to ask for some inspiration?"

"Yes! Especially if it is your teenage little sister wanting to know things about your sex life."

Quatra rolled her eyes "I'm not asking for details. I just want some pointers. "

"No!" Duo exclaimed in a horror filled voice.

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a prude."

"I'm not a prude. But if you think that I'm going to tell you anything you are sadly mistaken."

Quatraginta pouted but did not protest.

Duo turned towards he's older brother. "Where is dad anyway?" Duo asked in a desperate try to change the subject.

Solo shrugged. "In town to buy something that they need for dinner."

"All is right in the world when dad forgets to buy something." The braided man said with a laugh.

"Yeah, this is actually only the second time today that he had to go back to the store."

"Remember when mom turned fifty and he spent almost all day in the car because they kept finding more things that they needed?"

"Ah, the time before cellphones. Let us never live that way again." Solo snickered.

"Hey, Duo." Tres cut in. "Just so you know it. Our dear sister just went into the kitchen. Probably to corner your boyfriend."

Duo jumped to his feet. "Shit."

He hurried into the kitchen where Wufei meet him with grateful eye over the enthusiastic blond's shoulder.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Thank you too Persephone Choiseul who beta read this.

A huge thank you to everyone that reviewed. I have never gotten this many reviews for a chapter before. I'm feeling really inspired right now thanks to you all. Lots of hugs for all the fantastic people who took the time to tell me what they thought about the chapter.

Reikoyazumi - I'm so happy that you liked it :) I have a beta... I just forgot to give her some credit... ops, bad girl, bad. But thank you so much for offering, it warms my heart :)

Alzilur - Thank you, and more jealous Duo and the oblivious Wufei will come soon enough.

Miyabita yami - I'm so glad to hear that you thought Duo was in character. I was a bit scared there for a while that I made him too possessive :)

Nina-b - Thank you! I feel very honored that you left a review even when you felt like you didn't know how to write one (god should know that it took me years before I managed to figure out how to write one). Personally I think your review worked great. You told me what you thought about it and what you liked, one can not ask for more than that. So thank you very, very much for reviewing :)

Hittocerebattosai - hahahahaha! Thank you, but Wufei is glaring at you a bit for touching Duo's hair. :)

Turtle kid - Thank you :) More Duo's POV on the way :)

Cristallake - -blinks- Oh, I better hurry then. -puts pillow under your knees- There will be a lot more, I promise :)

Shogi - Damn, that was a nice review to read. You are spoiling me :) I'm so happy that you liked it

Halas - If this isn't your favorite paring then I feel even more honored that you liked it. Thank you :)

Rynn-Rynn - Great! That sounds fantastic and I hope that you will like the rest of the story too :)

EbonyOsmosis - Yay! I have a new best friend -hugs you- lol, but you are so right, there are not enough 2x5 out there. We need more!

Tearles - Oh no, there will be a lot more (probably about seven more chapters or so) Wufei is twenty-one so that makes Duo twenty-seven.

AmberEyes87 - Mahahaha! Another one joining the dark side! May the force be with you! (sorry I got Star Wars stuck on my head because I'm helping at the museum to put up the Star Wars exhibition. So I'm a bit brain washed right now. Oh! So If anyone here lives in Sweden, come check out the original Star Wars stuff, it's going to be great!) -clears throat- right, back to the subject. I'm so happy that you like my stories, It makes me all warm and tingly :)

Shia Nosake - Yeah, you got a point there. I always thought it was a bit annoying when a author would 'jump' every time that the characters had sex... too bad that I just did that in this chapter. I started witting the sex scene for this chapter but after a while it felt like I was re-writing a sex scene from another fiction I wrote (It's time to challenge the dragon) where they also have sex in a car. So I just said 'fuck it' and jumped over it. There will be sex soon... the only problem is that I don't really know how to write a sex scene that doesn't get me kicked out of ffnet I'm going to work on it. Thank you very much for telling me :)

Sylenctone - -giggles- thank you! Your review totally made my night ( I had just gotten home from work) And about the jealousy, well, we are just going to have to wait and see :)

The next chapter will be up on Friday :)

Come on, please leave a short review before you go? It would make me -very- happy if you did -puppy eyes-


	3. Daddy pants

I recommend that everyone that has not seen Austin Power… (I think it's gold member) to go to youtube and search on "Daddy pants" or you are not going to get my sad excuse for a joke.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 3

Duo picked his bag up off the hallway floor and motioned for Wufei to follow him. "Come on, let's get the bags upstairs. We are going to be sleeping in my old room." He took his lover's hand and led him through the hallway, up the stairs, to a sticker covered door.

Wufei looked at the colorful door with a smile. "The Shinagami lair?" He asked asked as he read the sign on the door. Duo blushed slightly. "I was fourteen and I liked mythology. I thought it was cool."

Wufei gave him a twisted smile. "Very cool."

Duo opened the door and they stepped into another time and another world. The room was filled with posters, toys and other childhood tokens. A waist-high black plastic gundam stood by the door, several model airplanes were hanging from the ceiling and a broken skatebord stood leaning against a sticker covered wardrobe. They put the bags down and took a tour around the room

"Can you belive that I acually threw out all my kid stuff when I was a teenager? It wasn't cool to have them around anymore, no matter how much you liked them." Duo picked up one of the many worn action figures standing in neat rows on a shelf and ran a finger over the gun that once had been able to shot darts. "Then when I moved out, mom kind of put everything back in here."

"That was nice of her." Wufei hunched down to look closer at the long row of videotapes on the bottom shelf. "You really had a thing for Batman, didn't you?"

"Yeah, Batman was the coolest. I had all the episodes and all the movies. Not to mention all the posters, action figures and the plastic weapons." He looked over at Wufei who was inspecting his Joker action figure like he had never seen anything like it.

"You didn't have action figures?"

Wufei shook his head. "Someone got me a The Thing action figure once. I think it was another one of their 'look he's diffent from everyone else but he is still cool' kind of thing. From what I remember he should still be in his box in the back of my old wardrobe."

Duo tightened his hand around the action figure in anger. It wasn't the first time that he felt screaming over Wufei's childhood and god should know that there was a lot to scream about. Especially ignorant fucking people! Pointing out that you are diferent from everyone around you at every turn was really not the way to make someone feel better about them selves. And to use The Thing as a role model! It was a wonder that Wufei wasn't more fucked up then he was. His lover's mother and grandmother had done it for a good cause but in the end they had probably only made the young Wufei feel even more alienated.

There was sharp snap from the figure when its arm was bent out of its socket from his tight grip. Wufei looked over at him in question but Duo just shook his head. There was no reason to say anything because he knew that his lover would defend his family's actions to his last breath.

"You didn't like action figures?" He asked instead and pressed the arm back in it's place.

"Naw, I was more of a Lego builder."

Duo grinned in exitment. "Aw, man. I loved Lego. I used to have this huge castle with dragons and knights and everything."

"You had a castle?" Wufei asked in awe. "I think I'm jealous, because I wanted one for years but my mom thought it was too expensive."

"Aww, poor thing. Maybe we-" Duo got cut of by a voice from downstairs.

"Boys! Dinner's ready!" His mother called.

Wufei bumped his shoulder in to his boyfriend. "Come on wonderboy, let's go."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Dinner went better than expected since Duo's father had barely enough time to close the front door before being informed by an entusiastic Solo that their Mythbuster fanclub had another member. It was not hard to guess what the topic was at the table. The rest of the family just tried to tune out the disscusion about flying cars, air pressure and granat launchers.

After dinner Duo, Solo and Wufei ended up relaxing in the livingroom.

The braided man blinked when he saw something that he had not noticed before. "What I want to know it what's wrong with the Christmas tree?" He asked and pointed at the tree that almost looked like it was goint to break under the weight of the star on top of it.

His mother who just walked in snorted. "That you can thank you father for. I reminded him, again and again. 'Don't forget to buy the tree, if you wait too long there is not going to be any left.' And I was right. That thing is something that he cut down on his own." She glared at the tree.

Duo poked one one of the glittery ornaments, something that made the whole tree swing.

He waited until his mother had left the room before turning to his older brother. "Hey Solo, you think the bulldog have any good trees on his land?"

"Probably, you want to go cut one down?" He asked without taking his eyes of the news paper.

"Yeah, because this is just sad."

Solo glanced up. "He'll kill us if he finds out."

Wufei got up to stand next to his lover. "Who's the bulldog?"

Duo smirked."A old man that owns the land south of here. He lookes like a bulldog, he barks like a bulldog and he kind of hates our guts."

By the satisfied look on the brothers faces it was easy to guess that there was probably a good reason for him to hate them.

"What did you do?" The Asian asked in tone of voice that indicated that he knew that he was not going to like the answer.

"Oh, nothing much. Fireworks in bad places, an open gate to the pigs, chickens that somehow ended up in a backseat, horse shit in unexpected places… you know things like that."

Wufei rolled his eyes at his grinning lover. "You really were a hellspawn when you were a kid."

Duo leaned down and nibbled on a delicate ear. "Who said I stoped." He whisperd huskily, making the shorter man laugh. "You want to come along and steal a tree? Live life a little dangerous?"

"Are you trying to corrupt me Mr Maxwell?" Wufei asked in a breathy voice.

"In every way that I can."

"Well in that case I would love to steal a tree with you." Wufei breathed and gave Duo a slow but deep kiss.

"Are you coming too Solo?" Duo asked when he came up for air.

"Yeah, why not. If nothing else I can be your chaperone."

Duo snorted."Whatever. Let's go then. We can take my car since it's the only one that can handle the terrain." Duo said and held up his car keys. But before he could blink, Solo had snatched them out of his hand.

"I'll drive." The older man stated.

Duo gaped. "What? It's my car you know."

"Oh, you wanna drive. You wanna be the daddy Number Two? Is that it? You wanna wear the daddy pants? " Solo mocked and dangled the keys infront of his little brother.

"You are such an ass, give me those." He made a grab for them but Solo easily snatched them out of his reach.

"Aww, are you goint to cry Number Two? Are you going to cry now?" He held out the keys just out of reach.

"Give me the keys." Duo growled.

"Is the baby going to cry because he can't wear the daddy pants?"

"Shut the fuck up and give me the keys!" Duo yelled and tackled his brother to the floor.

But unfortunatly for him, Solo was both heavier and stronger so he easily wrestled his little brother down and sat on him while Duo cursed quite colorfully.

The older man just smirked and held out the keys above the glaring man. "Well number two. You still want to wear the daddy pants? You think you can be the daddy?" Solo teased before blinking in surprise when the keys got snatched out of his hand.

"No, The only daddy here is me." Wufei said as he calmly walked past the two staring men. "Now be good little minions and get your shoes on."

Duo grinned and pushed his stunned brother off his stomach before happily following his lover.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After making sure that everyone had a flashlight they got out of the car and into the knee-high snow. The forest was dark and the snow was deep which made it hard to walk. Duo swore as his foot got stuck under a tree root. He looked over at his struggling lover. The snow might be tough to walk through when it was up to your knees, but it was a bit worse when it was almost up to your hip.

"Wu, walk in my footsteps. I'll be easier."

"Thanks." Wufei panted.

"Are you okay? You're not cold or anything?"

"Not really, just my hands. Good thing that you went mother hen on me back home and made sure that I packed warm clothes."

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Here, give me your hands."

Wufei held out his glove covered hands.

"Shit, these are your only gloves? The wind blows right trough these." He pulled the knitted gloves off his boyfriend's hands and wrapped his own warm hands around them.

Wufei sighed happily.

Duo smiled. "Better?"

"Yeah thanks. I just feel like a lost big city kid that can't take care of himself."

"Yeah and I get to feel all manly as I save the fair maiden from having cold fingers."

"My hero." Wufei said with a grin and kissed his 'knight.'

"Hey, if you two can rip yourself away from each other for a few minutes then come here because I think I have found us a tree."

The two lovers over and looked up at the big healthy tree that Solo had found them.

"It's almost a shame to cut it down." Wufei mused but Solo was already swinging the axe. The Asian winced at the sound.

Duo snorted. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I find it a bit ironic that the butcher feels sorry for cutting down a tree."

Wufei shrugged. "I never claimed to make sense."

Duo grinned and wrapped his arms around the shorter man, pulling him back against his chest as they watched Solo work. It didn't take long before the tree fell.

Duo looked at the tree. "Well, I vote for dragging it."

"What? And risk breaking branches. No way, we are carrying this baby back." Solo stated.

Duo grumbled but agreed. They started to make their way back. But if walking had been difficult before it was nothing compared to walking through deep snow while carring a thorny tree.

Solo stopped suddenly. "Did anyone hear that?"

They stayed quiet and listened.

Duo's eyes went wide."Shit! Dogs, the bulldog let the dogs out."

Wufei looked from one brother to the other. "I'm guessing that this is bad."

Duo nodded. "Oh, you can say that again. Those dogs have pretty much been brought up to hate us."

"Come on, we are almost there." Solo urged and the three of them trudged through the snow as fast as they could. Branches slapped them in their faces the rocky ground did it's best to slow them down. And through their journey they could hear the loud barking from the guard dogs getting closer.

They finally managed to get to the car and had just managed to get the tree up on the roof when two huge German shepherd charged out from the forest. Solo just managed the slam the door closed behind him and Duo swung his legs up from where he had been fastening the tree on the roof.

Duo swore when he saw the dogs run around the car and towards his lover. "Wu! Get in the car!"

But there was no time and the dogs darted towards the short Asian.

"Sit!" Wufei's firm voice rang out throught the forest and before anyone could blink he had two more or less sitting dogs infront of him. The dogs yelped and wagged their tails as they happily jumped up and down infront of the Chinese man. Wufei waited until they had calmed down before giving both of them some of 'Teddy the monster dogs' treats.

"Duo, stay where you are." He ordered his boyfriend who was half a second away from jumping of the roof.

"Are you okay?" The braiden man asked worriedly.

Wufei sighed. "Apart from that they are drooling on me, then yes."

Duo snickered. "Behold, the involuntary dog whisperer."

Wufei just glared at him while one of the dogs licked his face.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo slowly opened his eyes. The world was blurry for a second before a black and yellow Batman lamp swam into view. His Batman lamp. Duo blinked and looked around the room. For just a second he was a kid again and had to get his ass out of bed and go to school. The room might look the same. The same posters, the same beddings, the same toys. But the man sleeping in his arms was a new addition to his childhood room.

Wufei really was dead to the world as soon as he fell asleep. You could do pretty much anything to him and he wouldn't as much as twitch. He hardly moved a muscle the whole night and not a sound passed those lips. Duo on the other hand had a habit of taking up a lot of space, not to mention that he was clingy even in his sleep. That combined with a pretty bad snoring made him out to be a horrible bed partner. He had lovers who had refused to let him stay the night because they had wanted to be able to sleep. Wufei on the other hand had no such problems, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Thank god for that because when they had gone to sleep Wufei had been on his back next to the wall, now the Asian was on his stomach and was about to slide off the bed. The only thing holding him up was the fact that Duo had trapped his legs under himself. Wufei had half his chest over the edge of the bed with his arms twisted in what looked like an impossible angle. 'He looks like a pretzel ." Duo thought with a snicker.

He looked over to his Batman watch on the wall. It was time to get up and Duo stretched out his arms and back in order to wake his tired muscles up, a motion that made Wufei start to slip of the bed.

"Shit." He hissed and launched himself towards his boyfriend. He tried to pull him up again but he couldn't quite get a hold of him. Instead he barely managed to ease his fall as his boyfriend went over the edge. With a thud, the back of Wufei's head and shoulders hit the floor. Leaning forward, Duo looked down on his lover who blinked sluggishly. "Are you okay?" He asked in a worried voice.

Wufei yawned slowly from where he was lying half on the floor, half in the air with his legs still trapped on the bed. "Mmm." Was Wufei's only responds before he closed his eyes... and went back to sleep.

Duo felt his eyes boggled. "No way." He whispered in awe and poked Wufei's hip that was hanging over the edge of the bed. The Asian didn't move. Carefuly releasing his lover's legs he slowly lowered them down to the floor. He looked down on his peacefully sleeping boyfriend, who despite that he was lying in a heap on the floor did not make a move. He was lying so still that you could barely see that he was breathing.

One of the first nights that he had slept with Wufei he had woken up in the middle of the night, looked over at Wufei and just been convinced that his boyfriend was dead. His breathing had been so shallow that he hadn't seen his chest move. In panic he had thrown himself over his lover who, dazed with sleep, had assured him that everything was alright and that he was very much alive. He hadn't woken Wufei up in panic again since then, because instead he had started holding a small mirror under his nose. The mirror was a trick from paranoid parents that wanted to make sure that their infants were still alive. The trick was just as effective for paranoid boyfriends.

Duo yawned and got out of bed. He sat down on his heals and watched his sleeping lover for a while before reaching out to stroke his t-shirt covered back.

"Come on Babe. Time to get up."

The shorter man mumbled unhappily.

"Wu, wake up. Come on."

His lover didn't open his eyes but he slowly, very slowly sat up to lean against Duo's chest.

The braided man sighed. "Well that was a start."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Good morning." Duo said as he led a just about sleep walking Wufei in to the kitchen where the family was sitting. Settling Wufei down on a chair he quickly sat down next to him and only smiled when his boyfriend tipped over to land on his shoulder.

"Not a morning person?" His father asked with a grin and passed his son some toast.

Duo snorted. "You could say that."

"I think he's asleep again." Q pointed out and looked a bit closer on the relaxed man on the other side of the table. "How do you manage to get him awake on time?"

'Sex' was on the tip of Duo's tongue but he figured that it was not the right response to give at the breakfast table with his parents. Q would probably like it but that wasn't the point.

"In emergencies?" Duo moved Wufei's head so that his boyfriend was sitting on his own before pushing his chair back. He then bent down to get a hold of one of his lover's feet.

Wufei yelped and almost fell off his chair.

Heavy eyes glared at him. "I hate it when you do that."

"Well I thought it was time to wake up." Duo said and nodded his head towards his amused looking family.

Wufei blinked in surprise before blushing. "Sorry, good morning."

Suzanna smiled. "Good morning, would you like a boiled egg?"

"Yes, please." Wufei responded happily.

Duo snickered. "You and your eggs."

Wufei sent him a look through his loose hair. "I like eggs."

"Oh, I know you do."

"What's going on?" Q asked with glittering eyes.

Wufei sighed. "He is just making fun of me because I only like eggs when they are boiled."

Duo poked his boyfriend in the side. "It's eggs. They tast the same how ever they are cooked."

"No they don't." Wufei protested.

"Yes they do."

"No they don't, there is a huge difference."

Duo rolled his eyes. "It's eggs."

"The human garbage disposal is not allowed to vote."

"You are just being picky."

"Am not, just because I like to be able to identify what I'm eating out of the refrigerator."

Duo laughed."It wasn't like it had started to mold our anything."

Wufei grimaged. "That doesn't tell me anything except that you are not allowed to cook. Ever."

Duo shrugged with a smile. "Fine with me."

Duo turned to his family who seemed to be holding their breath."What?"

His mother shook her head with a smile. "Nothing sweetheart. Do you want an egg too?"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Hugs to everyone that reviewed.

Shogi - You reviews keep blowing my mind :) Thank you. You are actually on the right track in your speculations because Duo is anxious for a reason... yes, Wufei knows about the stripping and he thinks it's funny as hell... yeah, Wufei has a slightly strange sense of humor.

Turtle kid - Thank you for telling me. I hate the whole uke/seme thing and it makes me so happy to hear that there are more people that are for a equal relationship. If I read one more fiction with a sex dialog going "No, it hurts. No, don't put it there, it's embarrassing." I'm going to scream.

EbonyOsmosis - Yeah, poor Solo aren't alive in many fictions out there. I'm actually a big fan of Solo so I try to have him alive and well as often as possible :) oh! and the last chapter of "What's my favorite tea" is posted now if you missed it... but if you want the smut, you are going to have to go to another page, sorry.

AmberEyes87 - I hope you're right. I really want this story to work out ok.

Reikoyazumi - lol, no Q does not reflect me... but only because I haven't nagged my gay friends into telling me details about their sex life... they do that anyway :) I'm glad to hear that you liked the chapter and YES (!) for god sakes go write on your fiction. I want to know what's going to happen!

The next chapter will be posted in a few days.

Now, it you, beloved reader could take the time to leave me a short note on what you though about this chapter, it would make me oh so vey happy. Please? Pretty please?


	4. Seriously kinky

Now, this isn't really a new chapter... or it is, but it really isn't. This is just the rest of chapter 3 that I didn't post yesterday. The reason is that I in the last second put a sex scene in it that my poor beta Persephone Choiseul had less then a day to fix. So I just made it in to two parts. Sorry for the inconvenience.

-:-.-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next day

Duo's POW

Well, the Christmas celebration was pretty quiet. It was just Mom, dad, Q-bean, me and Wu.

I had been a bit worried at first over what I was going to give Wufei for Christmas since it took me a while to get over my first insane idea. And it really was insane because you should not buy your boyfriend an engagement ring after being together for only two months. I'm stupidly in love but I'm not stupid... maybe next year (and there it most likly going to be a next year! Isn't that the coolest thing ever?). Instead I got him another kind of jewelry.

Bree's sister is a jewelry maker who specializes in making jewelry out of hair (yeah, you can tell where this is going). It was pretty simple to get the hair. I have more than enough and I just waited until Wufei fell asleep and cut off as much as I needed from the back of his head. He didn't notice a thing.

The result was a beautiful bracelet made out of silver threads, my light brown hair and Wufei's black hair. Man, the look he gave me when he opened the jewel box and realized what he was holding. If my family hadn't been there I would really have gotten lucky. Really lucky, because Wufei's hair fetish is just not of this world. Not that I'm complaining because damn, it gets me laid in so many ways it's not even funny .

I got him something else too, because after digging my way through the basement for almost an hour in the middle of the night, I managed to find my old Lego castle. I even found the original box that mom had used to store old paper clippings in. Wufei laughed his ass off when he unwrapped it.

But none of them can compare to what Wufei got me. He got me a kitten! It's black with white hindlegs and big golden eyes. It's the cutest thing ever! Well, he didn't get me the actual kitten because it would have been pretty cruel to have it trapped in a bag until now but he got me a bunch of pictures of it. I'm going to name it Deathscythel because of the damn long claws that he was showing of in one of the pictures. I'll just call it Death for short. I can't wait to go pick it up when we get back home. Then I'm going to go shopping because it's going to need a bunch of stuff. Wu got me the basic stuff like a scratch post, collor and things like that. But there is so much more that a kitten should have, like all the fun stuff. I should get those small rubber balls with bells in them or maybe I'll get one of those big climbing things that he can play in.

I wonder if Death is going to be lonely. Maybe I should get another kitten? For some reason I don't think Precious is going to get along all that well with Death. But I'm starting to think that Precious only gets along with Wu. God, that is one strange cat. I mean, we got along great the first time we meet but when I stept in on her territory, shit, the war was on. I heard on TV that hate was a human emotion that animals didn't have but I swear, that cat HATES me, really hates me. That Wufei took my side in 'the war' probably just made things worse. But if there is one thing she hates more than me it's my hair. Too bad Precious, because I'm not going anywhere and neither is my hair. Especially not my hair concidering that Wu has been petting his bracelet every chance he had since he got it.

Wufei loved his other gift too and we both had so much fun with it. Mom didn't say a word when we poured all the Lego out on the floor in the living room. Yeah, mom really likes Wufei because she didn't even breath a word about the 'no toys in the living room' rule that had been -the law- since before I was born. Maybe two grown men building Lego made her feel a bit nostalgic or maybe she was under the illusion that we were a bit more responsible than when I was a kid.

We spent almost two hours building that castle. I had completely forgotten how big it actually was. Some parts were missing and we had to search through the big plastic box where Solo's, Tres' and my random Lego had been collected over the years to find something to use instead. In the end we got desperate and had to look trough Q's Lego. This resulted in a partly pink tower on one side of the castle since she was the only one who had the parts we needed.

I kind of wish that I had a friend like Wufei while growing up. All my childhood friends were so focused on growing up that there were no room to just sit on the floor surrounded by Lego and just enjoy being a kid. Me and my friends were all about looking cool, smoking, shoplifting, getting our hands on alcohol and things like that. Everyone kept talking about how they wanted to get out of this shit hole of a town and never look back. Now I keep wishing that I'd just enjoyed my childhood in a small town as long as I had it.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei carefully leaned back in the rickety computer chair. "Okay, again."

Duo groaned from where he was lying on his stomach on the bed."Wu, you got it. Besides, no one is going to care if you don't know their names."

"Please?"

The braided man rolled over on to his back. "Oh for the love of-, fine. My grandmother's name is?"

"Julia."

"And my grandfather's?"

"Harry."

Duo yawned. "Right, now they had five children..."

"Peter, your father. Howard, George, Carrie and Monica."

Duo sighed. "And they married.?"

"Peter married Suzanna, you mother. Howard married Lisa, George married Charlotte, Carrie married Eddie, but they got divorced so we are never going to mention him, Monica married... wait, I almost got it, don't say anything... it was something short, like Sam or Tim. Tom! That's it. Monica married Tom."

Du throw his hands in the air. "Thats great, you got it! Now can we please go to sleep?"

Wufei got to his feet and walked over to sit down by his lover. "We still have the siblings, the cousins and their children."

Duo took his boyfriends hand in his. "Babe, I swear that no one is expecting you to know their names."

Wufei softly stroked the hand holding him with his thumb. "Not at first, but they are going to introduce themselves tomorrow and I'm going to be so nervous that I'm not going to remember a single name. I can hardly remember people's names on a good day and people expect you to know their names if they tell it to you."

Duo sighed. "Not if they are in my family. Come on Wu, I hardly remember their names half the time."

Wufei looked down on his boyfriend with wide dark eyes. "Please?"

Duo melted. "Fine. And their children are named?"

"Peter and Suzanna had, Solo, Duo." He cut himself of to give his lover a quick kiss. "Tres and Quadraginta, but we will never call her that if we want to live."

Duo snickered. "That's for sure."

"Carrie and he-who-should-not-be-named had Harriet and Mark."

Duo laughed. "He's not Voldemort."

The Asian frowned. "Who?"

"Voldemort... you know. From Harry Potter."

Wufei just stared for a second."... Oh, the kids book. I haven't read it."

Duo sat up and stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. "You haven't read Harry Potter?"

Wufei blinked. "No..."

"But- but you have to read it and it's not a children's book it's more of a... a... a... something great! You have to read it."

The darker man looked hesitant. "I don't know. I don't really like fantasy books all that much."

Duo groaned and fell back down on the bed. "The first thing we are going to do when we get back is to start reading it. Hell, I'll read it to you."

Wufei smiled. "You're going to read me a bedtime story?"

Duo gave him a determined look."Yes."

The Chinese leered and leaned down towards his boyfriend. "I can think of a lot more fun things that we could do instead." He whispered against lovers ear, making sure that his breath tickled the skin.

Duo shivered. "Oh no you don't. We are not having sex with my mother sleeping on the other side of the wall."

"Your mother is downstairs." Wufei leered.

"That's not the point. You keep up with your studies instead."

Wufei pretended to pout. "So now you want me to learn it. Well, Monica and Tom had Scott. George and Charlotte had Stacey and John. John, who we hate 'super much' because he's mean and when he was ten, he tricked you into eating bugs."

The taller man grinned. "Damn right."

"How old were you then?" The Asian asked as he stroke Duo's bangs.

Duo closed his eyes with a pleased sigh. "Six."

Wufei's lip twitched. "Yeah, that was mean. We hate him super duper much."

Duo nodded happily.

"Howard and Lisa have no children, instead they have five dogs that they are going to bring." He paused "Please tell me that those things are going to stay out in the dog pen." Wufei begged.

"Yeah, grandma won't let them in to the house."

"I love your grandmother."

Duo rolled over on his side and raised his head up on his hand. "What is this thing you have against dogs?"

Wufei grimaced. "They're too forward. Always jumping on you, smelling you. Drooling all over the place... and to quote Kim, they're smelly."

"I'm starting to think that I should be jealous of Kim."

Wufei rolled his eyes before continuing his enumeration .

"Harriet married Ryan and had twins named Noel and... Jammie. Scott didn't marry Ellen, something that his mother Monica pretends not to care about but is in fact really upset about. They had Michael. John married Johana and had Rachel and Matthew. Solo married Violet and had Jessie, Heero and Anna. Tres married Molly and had Relena and Kate. Duo lost his mind and got stuck with me."

With a grin Duo took a hold of the other man's waist and pulled him down on top of him. "Mmm, More like you lost your mind and I was lucky enough to gain from it." He said and kissed his lover's throat.

Wufei chuckled. "If that's what you want to think, then go right ahead."

Duo pushed his hands in under Wufei's shirt and rubbed his hip up against his boyfriend. "Mmm, I will."

"I thought you said no sex with your mother on the other side of the wall." Wufei panted.

"My mother is downstairs." A wicked smile spread across the braided man's face. "We'll just have to be really quiet."

Dark eyes closed in pleasure as the hands on his back moved further down. "Yeah, I can do that. I can be really, really quiet. Can you?" He asked and parted his legs to give better access to Duo's wandering hands.

"I'm just going to have to keep my mouth busy." He mumbled between the light kisses that he was placing on his lover's throat.

[A/N. Sorry, scene censored because of FF witch hunt for adult themes. Will be re-written sometime in the future]

Wufei's weight was pressing Duo down on to the mattress, making the taller man groan happily.

Wufei's free hand found itself gripping the hair in the back of Duo's neck like the world depended on it. Duo who realized that he didn't mind the tight grip was starting to think that Wufei's hair fetish was contagious since his own free hand was buried in the silky dark ones above him.

Duo suddenly froze as he heard the creaking noise that could only come from the first step on the staircase. Listening carefully he could clearly hear slow, light footsteps coming up the stairs. He turned to his lover. 'It's mom' he mouthed unhappily and started to remove his hands from Wufei, but stopped with wide eyes when he caught sight of the twisted leer on the Asians face.

Wufei leaned down to whisper in his ear. "You are just going to have to be really quiet now number two."

The braided man just gaped and couldn't for the life of him utter a sound in protest. Especially since there was a hand moving in all the right ways.

The braided man could hear soft steps moving down the corridor and for a heart stopping moment he thought his mother was going to open the door to say goodnight as she had so many times before when he was a child. But the steps only paused for a second before moving on. Duo's heart was beating like mad, caught between horror and excitement.

The braided man swallowed thickly.

Duo's hips jerked involuntarily when Wufei tightened his fingers.

A low creaking noise could be heard as his mother opened her bedroom door.

Duo spread his legs wider to give his lover better access.

A drawer was opened and seconds later closed on the other side of the wall

Duo bit his tongue to stop himself from groaning as his lover flicked his thumb.

Light footsteps walked across the room, reminding them just how soundproof the walls were. Or more like how soundproof they were not.

Duo suddenly remembered his own fingers and started to move them.

The stair creaked again, this time louder as if someone heavier was slowly making their way up the stairs.

Duo was breathing irregularly through his nose while Wufei's shallow breaths tickled the side of his face.

Heavy footsteps walked past the door.

Duo tried to lie really still so that no sound would come from the bed springs.

They could hear the door to the parents' bedroom opening again.

Duo clamped his teeth together to stop the sound from escaping but a low groan still ripped itself from his throat.

He listened in fright for any sight that his parents had heard him, but there were none.

Wufei's nailed scraped lightly against him, making him turn his attention back to his lover.

He could hear his parents talking on the other side of the wall, but couldn't make out any words.

Wufei was panting in his ear. Faster and faster like he always did right before he-

Wufei tensed and his mouth opened in a silent scream as he came all over Duo's hand.

Duo didn't dare to blink, afraid that he would miss a second of the lovely sight.

Wufei lowered himself down to lie next to him before he once again started to move his hand. Up and down in fast but even pulls.

Duo was not a quiet man. He was loud when he was happy and he was loud when he was angry. He was loud in his sleep and he especially loud during sex. So when Duo felt his orgasm coming closer he almost desperately hid his face in Wufei's neck while he breathed heavily trough his nose. Wufei wasn't helping him at all by jacking him off just the way he liked it while whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

And when the peak was just a breath away his lover mumbled lovingly. 'Come for me my Adonis.'

Duo squeezed his eyes, lips, jaw, throat and fists closed as his orgasm rushed over him.

Seconds later an almost light headed Duo opened his eyes. "That was seriously kinky." He whispered up at the ceiling. Wufei just smiled.

It's always the quiet ones.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

And there you have it, they finally had sex. Sigh Finally. It just took me forever to write. So it wasn't all that hard core and they barely got their clothes off, but what are you going to do when your parents is on the other side of the wall. I'll write a better on later, I swear. One that isn't just incoherent sentences. But until then I would be very happy if you could tell me what you though about this chapter. Please?

(A/N – for chapter 3, about Wufei's action figure)

For those that don't know who The Thing is:

The Thing is one of the fantastic four super heros created by Marvel. His skin is made out of orange rocks and no one hates the way he lookes more than The Thing so he's really not the right rolo model to use for bullied children.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-


	5. I need a hug

Now let me start by telling everyone that I'm an idiot. Let me explain why.

First of all. I hate fictions where they put too many original characters in it. You can never remember who they are and you can never get a image of them in your head. Second of all, I'm not all that good at writing original characters.

So why, god, WHY?! Did I give Duo almost forty family members? Can someone tell me why?! -cries-

I recommend that you only try to remember the names of these family members.

Solo, Tres, Duo's cousin Harriet and her husband Ryan. That's it.

Now have a nice read.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 4 (Meet the Maxwells, the wild rabbit family)

'Dad really married a younger version of his own mother' Was Duo's first thought as his enthusiastic grandmother met them by the door, very much like his mother had done just three days earlier.

The old woman looked very much like a classical picture of Mrs. Santa dressed in all red with a white apron around her waist and a Santa hat on her head. It was obvious that she had come straight from the kitchen. The sleeves of her red shirt pushed up above her elbows, the apron had several stains and she smelled heavily of spices. "My darlings, come in. It's so good that you are here. Let me take your coats. Watch the water puddle there, we don't want you to slip. Did you find a good place to park the car?" The old woman asked. The two men didn't get the chance to answer because a sharp 'pling' was suddenly heard from somewhere in the house. "Oh! That would be the potatoes, got to go." Duo shook his head in amusement as he watched his eighty four year old grandmother run towards the kitchen. Some things just never change.

"Hi, who are you?" A small voice asked.

Duo looked down and realized that it really had been too long since he visited if his own niece didn't recognize him. But on the other hand, Tres' daughter Kate was only four years old so her memory probably wasn't the best. But still. "I'm your uncle Duo, your father's big brother."

The girl tilted her head. "Do you have kids?"

Duo shook his head. "No."

"Why?"

Duo looked down on the little girl who was hugging a white fluffy teddy bear against her chest as she looked up at him with big brown eyes. For some reason the answer 'I don't really like children' sounded like it was a bad answer to give right then. "Ehm…"

Wufei saved him by cut in. "Because it has not been the right time for Duo to have children even if he wanted to."

The girl turned to the shorter man. "Why?"

Wufei hunched down and sat back on his heals to get more in height with the small brunette. "Having children is a big decision and you have to think really hard about it first."

The girl smiled happily at the attention. "Why?"

Duo was starting to see a pattern but Wufei didn't seem to mind.

"It's a big responsibility to have kids because you have to be able to take care of them. And since Duo is still in school he wouldn't have the time or the money to have children."

The girl giggled. "You don't buy kids. They come from mommy's tummy."

Wufei nodded. "Well, kids need clothes and things like that and they cost money. Also if you don't have a mommy to have your children you are going to need money to have one."

"Why"

Duo groaned mentally. They were back to the 'why' questions again. He was very tempted to just snap ´because I said so' and escape. Wufei on the other hand didn't as much as sigh before answering her question.

"Well if you want to adopt a child it costs money and if you want to… borrow a mommy that also costs money."

Kate swung her hip back and fort making her wine red dress flutter. "Why doesn't he get a mommy?"

"Because Duo doesn't want one. He has me instead."

The girl giggled. "Naw ah, you're a boy."

Wufei smiled. "Yes that's right, I'm his boyfriend."

"Boys can't have boyfriends, they have girlfriends." Kate stated.

"They can if they want to. Not everyone falls in love with a girl. Sometimes they fall in love with another boy instead." Wufei said gently.

The small brunette shook her head. "Boys can't be in love with boys."

"Well I'm a boy and I'm in love with a boy." His lover said and looked up at the braided man with a smile in his eyes that made Duo's heart beat a little faster.

"Naw ah." The girl shook her head again.

"Yes I am."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too and I'll prove it to you." Wufei looked up at Duo and crooked his finger. Duo bent down and received a gentle peck on the lips before they turned back to the giggling girl.

"See?"

Kate wrinkled her nose with a smile. "It's weird."

Wufei made a small thoughtful sound. "Well, if you are in love with someone very, very much. Shouldn't you get to be with the one you love?"

"Yeah." She said softly.

"So if the one who you are in love with very, very much was born the same gender, shouldn't you be together if you love each other very, very much?"

The girl hugged her teddy bear tight and nodded her head as she hid her chin in the bear's soft fur.

Wufei grinned. "Well I love Duo very, very much so shouldn't I get to be with him then?"

The suddenly shy looking girl nodded her head again.

"You are a really smart girl because not everyone understands that." Wufei declared happily.

Duo could see the question 'why' coming a mile away.

Big brown eyes blinked. "Why?"

Wufei scratched his chin. "I don't know. Maybe because they have never been in love with another boy or another girl so they don't understand."

The four year old lit up. "Can I have a girlfriend? Boys are mean and stupid."

Duo bit his tongue. 'This is -so- going to come back and bite us in the ass.' He thought with a feeling of dread, but Wufei just calmly tilted his head. "Well, if you want. But I think that you might be a bit too young to decide if you want to have a girlfriend or a boyfriend."

"Naw ah, I'm four and I'm going to be five in this many months." Small chubby fingers showed seven fingers… or it might have been eight, it was hard to tell.

"Really?"

"Yeah. How old are you?" She asked and twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

"I'm twenty one."

"You're old."

Wufei smiled. "Just a little bit."

"My brother Heero is seven. He goes to school."

"Is that so?" Wufei asked with interested look on his face. Duo wasn't sure if his boyfriend was faking it or not. You could never know with Wufei since he found the strangest things interesting.

"Yeah he was six before and then he had a birthday and got toys. When I have my birthday I want a hamster like Julia has that can run in a wheel and eat salad but dad said no because they have fur and pets with fur make Heero's eyes itch and breath like Daft Vader." The girl started to pant slow and scratchy.

Duo tried to hide his amused snort but when the mental image of the solemn seven year old in a Darth Vader costume came over him he couldn't hold it in. It only got worse when 'Daft Vader' in his head started to tell him how 'The Force was with him' before he starting to wave his light saber around. Duo could feel the insane laughter building. He laughed until tears started to fall and he was bent over with an arm wrapped around his cramping stomach. He tried to stop but only managed to choke on his own spit instead. He ended up coughing his lungs up and laughing his ass off at the same time.

He could see his niece looked up at him in question but Wufei just waved him off. "Don't mind him. He is a bit strange."

"Well that's for sure." A booming voice chuckled. Duo coughed long and hard one last time before grinning when he took in the tall gray haired man that walked in to the hallway. The man rubbed the large bald spot on his head and turned to the little girl. "Kate your mother is looking for you. She is in the kitchen" The girl wrinkled her forehead but left with a strangle hold around her bear. She stopped briefly in the doorway to smile and wave at Wufei who waved back.

Duo walked over to the white haired man. "Hey uncle Howard."

"Hey Kid. Good to see ya." The man smiled gently and Duo hugged his favorite uncle close.

"You too." Duo mumbled in to the older man's shoulder before stepping back. "I want you to meet Wufei. Wufei, this is my uncle Howard."

"My, my, got yourself a pretty one did ya?" Howard said with a grin as he gave the embarrassed boyfriend a once-over. "Good to meet someone with no sense of self-preservation."

Wufei blinked in confusion as he shook the smiling man's hand. "What?"

"Well you're here with him aren't you?"

"Well, yes."

"There you go. No sense of self-preservation."

"Hey! Be nice old man." Duo poked his uncle in his Hawaii shirt covered side.

Howard grinned. "Why be nice when you can be honest? You're high maintenance kid and you know it."

Duo stuck his tongue out at the chuckling man.

"Are you people going to be blocking the hallway all night?" A dark gloomy voice said from behind them. Duo and his uncle turned as one and looked at the tall well dressed man who was standing with his arms crossed right behind them. None of them was very impressed by the stern greeting.

Duo responded with his most angelic smile. "Hi proffesor G." He said and fluttered his eyelashes in a way that he knew annoyed his uncle George more then anything. He liked his stern uncle just fine, but the man was just too much fun to irritate.

Howard on the other hand just snorted. "Hello to you too Georgi boy."

The man pushed his glasses further up on his nose. "Please don't call me that." He turned and looked over at Duo. "I see that you still have that hair. When are you going to get yourself a hair cut and not look like a hippy?" His uncle George asked with a frown.

"Never!!" Everyone looked over in surprise at Wufei who looked -very- embarrassed over his loud outburst. "Ehm, I like his hair." He mumbled and stared down on the floor.

Duo was grinning as he walked up to his lover and pulled him up against his chest "You heard the man, the hair stays." He said and threw the braid over his shoulder, making it bounce against Wufei's stomach.

George looked ready to argue but got cut off by the man standing next to him. "Hush little brother, everyone needs their own style." Howard said and patted the other man on the back.

George rolled his eyes. "You and I have very different views on what's stylish. Personally I wouldn't listen to a word about style coming from a guy who's been wearing Hawaiian shirts every day for the last twenty years."

Duo, who saw Howard open his mouth to respond took the chance to escape with his boyfriend. That was definitely a discussion did not want to be involved in. They moved on in to the kitchen.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The kitchen was a chaos of sounds and people. The air was warm and smelled heavily of spices and roasted meat. A radio was on in the background, playing Christmas songs but was almost drowned out by the sounds of all the people in the room. Especially since the children that were running in and out of the kitchen were from about four to seven years old, meaning that they were all pretty loud.

They were met by Duo's flour covered mother in the door way. "Hi boys, you're finally here. Did you have a nice sightseeing trip trough town?" Wufei looked embarrassed but nodded shyly. Duo chose not to say anything since he wasn't one to lie and he wasn't about to say that they hadn't gotten further then down an abandoned forest road to have sex in the car. Luckily his mother didn't seem all that interested in the answer. Instead she turned in to the kitchen. "Has everyone meet Duo's boyfriend?" She asked out in the air and Duo could feel his lover stiffen next to him as all eyes in the room turned towards them. In less the two seconds they were surrounded and poor Wufei was the center of the attention. There was a jumble of people that introduced themselves and Duo could suddenly see the wisdom in learning all the names the day before. Wufei hid his discomfort well and managed to be nice and polite to everyone.

After a few minutes everyone had calmed down enough that they could move on to the next challenge. The living room.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They moved in to the sitting room where it looked like the rest of the family had gathered. Duo felt Wufei stiffen next to him again before a slightly shaky hand found his. "It's going to be alright." He whispered and squeezed the hand in his. Wufei only tightened his grip in response.

Deciding to start out small this time, Duo led his nervous boyfriend towards Solo and Tres, who were standing by the window. Unfortunately their entry had not gone un-noticed.

"Duo!" Arms wrapped themselves around him from behind and hugged him tightly.

"Hey Harriet." He said happily and hugged his cousin back as much as he could in the strange position they were in. She stepped back and punched him hard in the shoulder. "Ow! Ri, what the fuck?" He complained and rubbed his poor shoulder.

"That's for not showing up on the last TWO family gatherings! I haven't seen you in ages." The woman scolded with a glare.

Duo grimaced. "Sorry, but I'm here now, I even brought company. This is my boyfriend Wufei Chang. Wufei this is my cousin Harriet."

Harriet smiled and shook the offered hand. "Oh I know who you are. His mother has not been talking about much else since we got here. It's nice to meet you Wufei."

The Asian who had started to relax a little managed a smile of his own. "You too."

"But I really have to ask. Did he really give you a Lego castle for Christmas?"

Wufei's smiled brightly. "Yeah."

Harriet glared at her cousin. "Duo! That has to be the most unromantic gift I have ever heard of. It's ever worse then when Ryan got me a power drill for Valentine's day."

Wufei waved his hand slightly to get her attention. "I think it was a great gift. I always wanted one." He said and looked up at Duo in a way that once again made his heart race. Duo was starting to think that those dark eyes were going to give him a heart attack one day. "And he did give me something else too." He held his left arm out and pushed his sleeve up to show of his bracelet. Harriet took a hold of the arm and held it up towards the light."

She turned it over. "Nice, what's it made of?"

"Mine and Duo's hair."

"Aww, that's so sweet. A bit gross but sweet."

Wufei opened his mouth to respond but got cut off by a loud voice from the doorway. "I see that you made it here this year Duo."

Duo turned to look at the smiling woman behind him. She was wearing a stylish black suit in the latest fashion, but if you only looked at her fluffy hair and her big earrings, you would think that they had all traveled back to the 80's. "Yeah, nice to see you aunt C."

Red painted lips smile. "You too, and this would be the boyfriend I'm guessing."

"Yes, This is Wufei Chang. Wufei this is my aunt Carrie."

"It's nice to meet you, wait." She turned around towards the crowded room. "Hey everyone! The boyfriend is here." Duo saw Wufei swallow thickly as a big wave of relatives came towards them.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After fending off quite a few relatives Duo could clearly sense that his lover needed a quick break. He managed to lead Wufei out of the crowded room, up the stairs and into one of the house's many bathrooms. Making sure to lock the door, Duo pulled the shorter man in to his arms and held him tightly. "Are you okay?" He asked and stroked his lover's back soothingly.

"Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed by all the people." Wufei said with a long sigh.

Duo smiled and kissed his temple.

Wufei took a deep breath into his chest. "I can't believe you are related to these many people."

Duo laughed. "I guess it's a bit crowded."

"Crowded? It's like you're trying to invade a small country." Wufei shook his head "Don't mind me, I'll get used to it… But why does everyone in your family have to be so damn tall?"

Duo laughed "I don't know. I never really thought about it."

"Well I'm getting a strained neck from looking up at people all the time."

The braided man rested his head on top of his boyfriend's. "Poor thing."

"From now on I'll only talk to people that are sitting down… If I can… damn there are a lot of people down there."

Duo licked his lips. "Wu… You do realize that the family gathering lasts for tree days and that everyone is not here yet."

There was a stunned silence. "There are going to be more people?"

"Well, yes. My cousins Stacey, Mark, John and Scott and their families that won't be here until tomorrow."

Wufei took a long shaky breath. "Right, your family breeds faster than wild rabbits. Okay. It's fine. That's just… wait, don't say anything. I know this… Scott married…" He trailed of in to low mumbles. "Ten more people… Oh, god. Ten more people. How are…" Wufei sighed dejected. " I need another hug."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Please tell me what you thought... please?

Ronon101 - -blushes- That was some compliment. Thank you so much for your kind words. You have sooo made my day :)

Shogi - This is great, I'm getting all excited because you're all excited :) Hopefully you liked this chapter too -crosses fingers-

Kaeru Shisho - Yeah, you're right. I think that a part of the whole "you become the person you were before, when you go back" is true. But instead of bringing out his bad sides like Duo was afraid it would, it kind of brings back the kid in him.

Turtle kid - Yeah, hair jewelry is kind of nice... -starts eying boyfriends long hair-... I'll be right back -gets scissor-

Seer Vixen - No kidding, you're not the only one :)

Reikoyazumi - I wonder if you have any idea how happy your review made me. If not, I'll tell you. I was very, very happy and really flattered.

E.Tphonehome - 'grin' yeah. I think the quiet people are usually the really kinky ones :)

Alzilur - Awww, I'm so glad to hear that you liked it. Thank you


	6. A bunch of puppies

Ah, after many tries I finally found a computer that had a internet conection (I'm been looking for two hours).

Well, I have to go to work very soon so I really don't have the time to thank the wonderful people that reviewed but I hope you know that I loved them all. I didn't realize that there were this many people suffering with big families out there, lol. Hugs and kisses for you :)

Names to remember this chapter:

Duo's brother Solo and his wife Violet

Duo's brother Tres and his wife Molly

Duo's cousin Harriet, her husband Ryan

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 5 (A bunch of puppies)

-A few hours later-

Duo took a second from where he was talking to his brothers and looked around the living room. He quickly came to the conclusion that sometime between dinner and the evening coffee, he had lost his boyfriend. Getting to his feet he walked through the kitchen to the dining room to the sitting room but without finding his Chinese lover.

Duo realized with a feeling of dread that his boyfriend was probably hiding. That Wufei wasn't comfortable in a crowd was clearly an understatement and Duo was a bit worried. He started to look through all the bedrooms, the study, the library and even the closets in search of his missing lover.

'The house is big, but it isn't -that- big! Where could he be? His coat is still hanging in the hallway so he hasn't gone outside.' Duo thought before walking back to the living room where most of his family was gathered.

"Hey, has anyone seen Wufei?" His question was only met with negative responses. He was getting very worried now. What if Wufei had been so uncomfortable that he had left without his coat? What if he was lost? What if-?

His worrying was interrupted by his cousin Harriet who tapped him on the shoulder.

"Duo, have you seen Jammie or Noel?"

He thought for a second. There was so many kids running around, but he hadn't seen the two six year old twins anywhere lately. "No."

His cousin sighed. "Strange. I haven't seen them for hours. If you see ether of them could you tell them that I'm looking for them and that we are going to leave soon?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, sure... hey, when was the last time you saw them?"

"After dinner... Now that you mention it, they were talking to your boyfriend a while after that."

A little light went on in his head. "Ah. Well, I'm guessing that if we find one, we find all of them."

Together they started to go over the house with a fine-tooth comb… but without luck. The mysterious part was that more and more children started to disappear until they were missing five out of ten children. His brothers and their wives soon joined the search to find their own children and Harriet pulled her husband Ryan away from the TV to help them, but without result. Not until Harriet came silently laughing up the basement stairs. She gesticulated for them to be quiet and lead them down the stairs, through several junk filled rooms, through their grandfather's workshop and through the door that lead into the old underground garage. The first clue that someone was down there was the rattling sound of a old space heater that someone had plugged in and their attention was soon caught by the dim light that came from the back of the old rusty car standing in the middle of the over filled room.

"God, I can't believe that grandpa still has this piece of crap." Duo said as he dusted away some dirt from the hood.

"The 1974 Toyota Corolla station wagon is a classic." Harriet's husband Ryan protested.

The rest rolled their eyes but didn't protest. No one wanted to hear another lecture about 'classic' cars again.

They walked around the car and over to the open trunk. At first sight it seamed like the big trunk was empty but at a closer inspection reviled that so was not the case.

The backseat had been felled down and the floor of the usually spacey trunk was filled with blankets, pillows and empty cookie plates and in the middle of it all they found Wufei asleep under a pile of children. Some were curled up against his side while the older children were asleep more or less on top of him.

"Does anyone have a camera?" Molly whispered.

"It's upstairs, don't wake them up, I'll go get it." Ryan whispered back before he quickly made his way over the oil stained floor and out the door.

"Aww, they are so cute. Like a bunch of puppies." Solo grinned and pulled his silently laughing wife up against his chest.

"Ever thought about getting children Duo?" Harriet whispered.

Duo didn't answer at first because the truth was that he not only had thought about it, he had dismissed the thought almost instantly. No, he did not want children. But looking down on his sleeping angel who was being used as a pillow by several of them he started to reconsider.

"Maybe. I don't know." He said quietly.

Harriet smiled. "Well, if you plan on keeping this one, you are going to have to do more then think about it."

"Yeah, this one has 'I want to have kids' written all over him." Molly giggled quietly.

Duo suddenly had a vision of small dark eyed children running around calling him daddy. He surprised himself by not panicking over the thought. He took another look at his lover. Maybe if they found a surrogate mother and used Wufei's genes. He -so- did not want to raise a kid that took after him. He'd be bald and insane before the kid was old enough to leave the house. No, dark eyed angels was a lot more enticing.

"I think Kate found herself a new teddy bear." Tress whispered and pointed at the small girl who had wrapped herself tightly around one of Wufei's arms.

"And I think Wufei is going to have to wash his hair." Solo grinned and pointed to where his daughter was drooling heavily over a handful of Wufei's dark hair. The rest of the adults snickered.

Ryan returned with his camera and managed to snap of a couple of pictures before the first of them woke up. Heero groaned out a irritated 'go away' and throw his plastic gun at them before hiding his face in Wufei's stomach. This woke up Noel who was sleeping on the other side of the Asian. Moment later, so did Jammie who had been sleeping on top of her brother.

"Mom?" She mumbled sleepily with her eyes barely opened. None of them seemed very interested in getting off their pillow. Duo could sympathize with them since he knew very well how comfortable Wufei was to sleep on.

"Time to go." Harriet said softly and held her arms out to her daughter.

"But Fey didn't finish the story." She mumbled and put her head back down one Noel's back, who had followed Heero's example and hid his face in Wufei's soft sweater.

"I'm sure he can finish it tomorrow." She said and put her knee up against the bumper to get closer to her children.

"Why can't we stay here?" She whined.

"Well you can't sleep on Wufei all night or he is going to be very uncomfortable tomorrow from sleeping all curled up like this." Duo very much doubted that, since he had seen Wufei fall asleep in a hell of a lot of stranger positions than this without any problems the next day, but he really wasn't stupid enough to say this out loud as Harriet continued. "And grandma doesn't have enough beds for everyone so we are staying with your uncle Scott. You can see Wufei again tomorrow."

The girl was reluctant but let herself be lifted off her brother. The relieved mother carried her sleepy burden away from the car as Ryan took his turn and picked up his once again sleeping son.

Heero who woke up when Solo tried to pick him up and protested sleepily but in the end he also let himself be carried away. This left Anna, Kate and Wufei still sleeping in the car. That Wufei hadn't woken up didn't surprise him at all.

Anna who was sleeping soundly did not even twitch when Violet carefully uncurled her fingers to release the sleeping man's hair and lifted her up in her arms. Kate on the other hand did wake up enough to put up a bit of a fight by refusing to let go of Wufei's arm. But after a while and several promises from Molly that she would get to see Wufei again tomorrow she let herself be carried away by her mother.

Wufei was left lying on the floor of the car in his now wrinkled sweater. Duo climbed into the car and laid down next to him. He stroked some loose hair away from the beautiful face with a soft smile. He was very tempted to carry his sleeping boyfriend to the car but he knew that he would never be able to carry him up the stairs. Wufei wasn't all that heavy but he was not -that- light.

"Come on Wufei, time to go." He said and petted the silky hair. Wufei didn't move. "Come on sweetheart. Time to go." He said a bit more forcefully but without result. He shook the shoulder in front of him. "Wufei, Wu? It's time to go home now. Wake up." Wufei groaned and rolled over away from him. "Oh, no you don't. Wu, wake up babe. Come on now." He said and leaned over to kiss his temple.

Wufei only grumbled in response.

Duo laughed and nibbled on his ear. "Wuuuu, come on. Don't make me wake you up with sex in my grandmother's house."

"Hmm, sex?" The darker man mumbled as he rolled to his back.

The braided man snickered. "Trust you to catch the most important part."

Wufei just blinked and looked around the back of the car.

"It's late. The kids went home."

"Oh."

Duo grinned and stroked his chest. "You can see them again tomorrow."

"Okay." Wufei yawned.

"I don't know how you do it. For someone who doesn't like being around people, you sure attract a lot of kids."

The shorter man just shrugged. "They're easier. Kids are a lot more honest and they didn't take life as seriously as most adults."

"What were you doing down here in the first place?" Duo asked curiously.

Wufei looked embarrassed. "Noel dropped his new action figure down the stairs and didn't want to go get it alone. So, Jammie came and got me so we could go together. We couldn't find it. Your grandparents sure collected a lot of...ehm."

"Junk." Duo filled in.

"Yeah, junk. It took us forever. Especially since the light went out after a while and we only had a small flashlight that Jammie found. Did I ever mention that I don't like the dark? That I might even be slightly scared of it?"

Duo shook his head in amusement.

"Well I am. And so is Jammie and Noel, so we were all kind of stuck together down here, like in some bad horror movie." Wufei faked a shudder.

Duo laughed and kissed his lover's temple. "Did you at least find the action figure?"

"Yeah, Jammie found it by the stairs in an old paint bucket."

Duo who immediately thought about his own beloved action figures gasped. "Oh no! Did you get it clean?"

Wufei laughed "We didn't need to. The paint had dried out years ago."

Duo hummed and took a deep breath in his lover's silky hair. "And then what happened?"

"Well, Jammie wanted to explore... I didn't think your grandparents would have minded."

Duo shook his head and waited for his love to continue. "We looked around for a while until Noel found the door to the garage and wanted to go inside. We found the car... it's a really cool car by the way. The backseat was down and there were a few blankets in the back so we kind of built a nest in there. Noel went and got Heero, and Anna followed her brother. Kate followed Jammie when she snuck upstairs and got some cookies. So we ate cookies and told stories."

"Sounds like you had fun." Duo put his head down next to his lover. "I got a bit worried there for a while when I couldn't find you. I didn't expect to find you hiding the basement."

Wufei looked embarrassed. "Yeah, well it was nice to get away for a while."

Duo stroked his lover's cheek. "The next time you feel you have to get away, let me know and we'll leave."

Wufei shook his head. "You were talking to your brothers and you did say that you hadn't had much time to catch up with them."

"Doesn't matter. You matter, so please tell me next time."

Duo's heart jumped as beautiful wallflower smiled with bright eyes. "I will."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

I hope you liked it. I'm going to try to get the next chapter done by friday but I can't promise anything. Work is turning... hectical.

Now please review. Please?

LOL. I feel like a homeless woman sitting with her hand out, begging to all the people passing by.

"Please review?"

"Spare some time miss?"

"Spare some time to review mr?"

"A short review?"

"Second to leave a review?"

"A short complaint?"

"Anything?"

"Please miss, please review."


	7. Peter Pan and his faithful followers

Names to remember this chapter.

Tress and his wife Molly. Duo's cousin Harriet and her husband Ryan... there is a bunch of kids too but I don't think that you need to remember all their names.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Chapter 6

Duo looked at the sign taped to the basement door.

"No growup allowd." He read out loud.

Harried patted him on the back. "Too bad, Duo."

"I wonder if they even got that Wufei is my boyfriend and not my son." He shook his head with a sigh.

Harriet laughed. "I think they made a exception for him. Quatra wasn't even allowed downstairs and she's seventeen... How old is Wufei?"

"Twenty-one."

She snickered. "Got yourself a boy toy, did you?"

Duo responded with a kick to her shin. "I'm only six years older, so fuck off -mom-."

The brunet just laughed and stuck her tongue out. "You're just jealous because I still have to show my ID in the liquor store."

"Yeah, well you're just jealous because my boyfriend is prettier than you are." Duo shot back.

Harriet didn't get the chance to answer because the basement door opened and five year old Anna came out closely followed by the two year older brother Heero.

Duo smiled down at the children. "Hey, what are you two up to?"

"We are on a mission." Heero replied with a determined face as he fingered his plastic gun.

The braided man lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, we need cookies." Anna cut in with a bright smile that stood in a sharp contrast to her older brother's glare.

Duo hummed. "Let's make a deal. I'll get you cookies and you'll let me come downstairs."

The kids looked at each other before walking a few steps away and whispered back and forth while Duo waited patiently for them. They walked back to him with determined steps. "We have to ask the others." With that they turned and disappeared down the stairs.

"So you are going to bribe your way in, are you?" Harried snickered.

"Whatever it takes." He smiled widely.

A few minutes later, Anna came back and looked up at him seriously. "We want good cookies. Not boring dry ones. Cream and chocolate cookies. Lots of them. And Fey wants coffee."

Duo was trying hard not to let him amusement show. "Okay. So am I allowed in after that?"

"Yes." With that the little girl hurried away, making the 'No growup allowd' sigh flutter.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Grandma, I need cookies. Lots of them."

His grandmother looked up from where she and her two daughters were looking through some old photo albums. "Well, we are going to have some coffee in about an hour. Can't you wait until then?"

Duo grinned. "No, I need cookies to bribe the kids so I can see my boyfriend."

She pushed her big golden glasses further up on her nose. "Are they still in the basement?"

"Yeah."

The elderly woman frowned. "I hope they're careful, there are a lot of sharp things down there."

"As far as I know they are building a fort out of grandpa's old car and Wufei is with them. They should be fine."

She smiled as she got to her feet. "Well then, let's see if we can find you some cookies."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

With a basket filed with cookies, hot chocolate and coffee Duo walked into the garage.

He handed the basked over to the happy children and crawled into the car through the back of it. There were more children there then the day before and even the three 'older children' (if you can call eight and nine year olds older) who usually didn't want to play with the 'little kids' were curled up together with the rest of them. And in the middle of it all, leaning back against the driver seat, Wufei sat with his legs crossed like a Indian chef before his tribe.

"Duo." He exclaimed happily and held his arms out to him.

That warm fluffy feeling spread in Duo's stomach. "Hi." He said almost shyly as he crawled in while trying to avoid stepping on any of his nephews, nieces, cousins children, toys or cookie platters.

Duo gave his boyfriend a quick kiss while ignoring the children's protests that kissing was gross and sat down next to him. "I got past the guards." He said with a grin.

Wufei didn't get the chance to say anything as an annoyed voice was heard. "Shhh, Fey is telling a story." The six year old Relena frowned at him while she straightened her bright pink dress that he had ruffled slightly on the way in.

"So how come he didn't kill the snake?" Heero questioned as he shot Duo a glare for interrupting the story. By the look on his face you could have thought that he had interrupted a world saving mission rapport.

Wufei returned to his story telling. "Well, he really wanted the reward that the snake was offering."

"But the deer was innocent." Anna protested.

"Anna, let him tell the story." Matthew cut in. Duo smirked on the inside when he though about how his cousin John's stylish wife was going to react to seeing her son right now. The eight year old had melted chocolate smeared around his mouth and his earlier impeccable clothes were dirty and wrinkled. Not to mention that he was sitting in a rusty car wrapped in a blanket that probably had been lying in the garage longer then Duo had lived.

Wufei hushed what, by the look on Anna´s face, could only be an incoming argument. "Oh, it's alright. You have to ask to find out."

"So what happened then?" Relena asked as she bit into a cookie and spread crumbs all over herself.

"Well, after the man had killed the deer with his spear and released the snake he was told to follow the snake. He walked for many days and many nights. Up on high hills and down through deep valleys, through thick jungle and streaming rivers until they came to a deep dark hole in the ground. The snake told him to hold on to his tail before he started to wriggle his way down the deep hole, dragging the man with him. They crawled deeper and deeper down the hole, further then any man had ever traveled. Deeper and deeper..."

Duo rolled himself together against the car door and put his head down on Wufei's thigh as he too listened to the story.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A sharp sound woke him up. Duo blinked and looked around the dim car. The first thing he noticed was that he was more or less sleeping on top of Wufei. He had his arms around his waist and his head resting on his stomach. The second thing he noticed was that there were several somebodies sleeping on top of him and that one of them must be lying on on his braid because he couldn't lift his head. There was another sharp sound and a bright flash and Duo turned groggy eyes towards it. He was met with the sight of a grinning Ryan who was holding up his camera towards them.

"I see that you joined the lost boys... and girls." He laughed quietly.

Duo yawned and rubbed the side of his face into Wufei's soft sweater. "Yeah, well if you can't fight them, join them."

Ryan snickered and snapped off another photo. "Well, it's time for dinner so if you can wake up Peter Pan and his faithful followers, we can finally get some food." He moved to leave but Duo held up a forefinger to get his attention.

"Yeah, but Ryan, could you do me a favor first?"

"Sure, what?"

"Get who ever is sleeping on my hair off of me."

Ryan snickered once again but did as he was told.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo POV

Well, if you ask me Wufei did a very good impression on the family at dinner this time. He had been a bit too quiet and -very- uncomfortable the first day but then on the second day he did hold a couple of conversations and even managed to start some on his own. Everything went great and everyone like him… in exception of my great grandmother. But she's a hundred and three years old not to mention very senile. She took one look at Wufei and was convinced that the Japanese army had invaded the country and that we had to hide in our non-existing bomb shelter. When no one would listen to her she tried to get rid of the enemy by swearing in "Japanese" and chasing Wufei around the room with her electrical wheelchair. I don't think I have ever seen my grandfather so embarrassed in my life as he was over his mother right then. In fact the whole family looked like they wanted to disappear through the floor. Everyone thought it was horrible… except Wufei who thought it was funny as hell. I swear, I love that man but I will never understand him. Jealousy, racist old women and a mortified teenage boy caught by the security guards with his pockets filled with candy bars is apparently the funniest thing ever. Strange man.

We managed to get my great grandmother to calm down long enough to eat dinner and after that I was elected to driver her back to the home. It wasn't that bad actually. She's pretty nice when she's not chasing off 'enemy soldiers.' That I was the one who got to do it wasn't much of a surprise because believe it or not but I'm her favorite relative. It's not because anything I've done or said, it's more because she thinks that I'm her younger brother Ervin… who died about fifty years ago.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo waved at his great grandmother as he left her in the hands of the smiling personal at the home who happily listened to her tale about how she had chased of a Japanese army single handedly.

He shoved his hands deep in to his coat pockets and breathed out in a large cloud of steam. The snow crunched under his feet as he walked back towards the car. It was getting dark and none of the street lights were on, but the snow made sure that he could see where he put his feet.

He had kind of forgotten how peaceful it was here during the winter. Duo stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned his head towards the sky. It was a cloud free night and all the stars were shining brightly down at him.

Duo turned slightly to his left and felt his breath catch in his throat. There in the distance a gigantic northern light spread across the sky. The colors moved from deep green to the pales yellow in long curved shapes. As he watched, the light danced slowly. As one side started to dissolve another grew and the shape stretched and moved.

He had seen a couple of northern lights before but not this clear and not this big. It was a 'once in a life time' sight and he found it almost ironic that he was going to be driving towards the northern light to go home to his waiting lover.

The cold was biting into his skin and he put his fingers into fists inside of his cloves to warm them. It was strange how he suddenly could appreciate his old town now, when just thinking about it had sent shivers down his spine not longer than a year ago. He didn't even try to fool himself that it was because of anything that he had done on his own, it was all because of Wufei. It almost felt like Wufei was grounding him in a way that nothing ever had before. 'Maybe I'm finally growing up.' Duo thought with a snicker.

He had always been restless. Always moving, always traveling, but for some reason always returning back home in the north, even when it there was the last thing that he wanted. For a while there he had started to wonder if he was a masochist for always coming back to the place he felt the most alone and the most worthless. Because even if he didn't return to his home town he would end up in another small town not far from it. But now, standing ankle deep in the soft new fallen snow with the stars shining brightly in a way that it only did this far north and the green northern light dancing over his head, he started to wonder if the reason he kept coming back was because he actually liked it here. Maybe he just needed to feel at home somewhere else before he could allow himself appreciate his old home town. Home now a days was a small rundown apartment in the big city, a green couch with smiling bees, a cat that hated his guts and Wufei.

Duo found himself smiling at the mere thought of his lover. He found it amazing that one person could change your life so much. Duo had always been a very independent person, but somewhere along the way, Wufei had turned into someone he could lean on. In the beginning it had been pretty cool to have someone who so obviously looked up to him that he could lead around, but it didn't take long before things had started to change. Duo actually knew exactly when all of it had started.

It had started out to be the day from hell. Not only did he wake up late, he had also been starving, but since there had been nothing to eat aside from some moldy bread that even he refused to eat he had to go hungry. He had washed all his clothes the day before but since he had been too lazy to hang them up, they now resembled old raisins. While running around in his apartment trying to get ready, he had smashed his foot straight in to a door frame with a sickening sound. Nothing had been broken but it still hurt like fucking hell.

Limping down the street towards the bus stop in his wrinkled clothes, a huge truck drove past him in high speed. The truck sent a wave of dirty freezing water filled with sharp pieces of ice sweeping over his legs, soaking both his pants and his boots. Shivering he had waited for the extremely late bus that, when it finally arrived, had been driven by a bus driver that obviously hated the world and everything in it, something that he had made Duo very aware of. There had only been one seat left and he had spent the entire ride being the center of attention to a kindergarten class. By the time he could finally leave the bus it was all he could do not to use the brats as footballs to get them to shut the fuck up.

At the university he had walked into four different lecture halls, making everyone look at him in question before he found the right one. The entire class turned in their seats to watch his slumping shape limp up to the back row where the only empty seats where. God knows why Wufei liked to sit up there because it was cold as hell in the back. Well there he had realized that he had the wrong books with him and that this was the single most important instruction lecture of the entire year. He had tried to copy down all the barely translatable examples written on the board as fast as possible only to find that his pen was almost out of ink. Bending down to his bag he prayed that he had a spare one with him, only to cut up the palm of his hand on a sharp nail sticking out on the edge of his seat. The blood had dripped all over his bag, his clothes and his notes before he managed to wrap his scarf around his hand. Unfortunately this made it more or less impossible to write.

When the coffee break finally came and he realized that he only had enough money for half a cup, he was on his last straw.

Then, like Batman sweeping down to save the day, Wufei came along carrying a cup of steaming coffee and a plastic box filled with cookies. Since he had refused to take Wufei's seat further down, his friend had joined him in the back but not before putting a bandage around his hand, a knitted hat on his head and pulled Duo's cold feet up in his lap so that he could warm them up. He then listened to him complain with a sympathetic look on his face while he feed his empty stomach with newly baked cookies.

Duo had spent the rest of the lecture bundled up under Wufei's coat while his friend took notes for the both of them. Despite the fact that he was cold and in pain, Duo had felt so good right then. To just lean back and let someone else take care of you was a luxury that he hardly ever indulged in. Hell, he hardly let his own mother take care of him. But right then, with his feet still in Wufei's lap, getting tissues and kind looks from his friend whenever he sneezed, he found that maybe Wufei was a exception.

Wufei just had this way of making you feel like everything was going to be alright. Like nothing could go wrong because he was there to make sure of it.

He was going to be so spoiled if Wufei kept it up, he just knew it.

Speaking of his lover, he really should get back to him as soon as possible. You do not leave your socially awkward boyfriend alone in a house filled with your family for any longer than absolutely necessary. Wufei had put on a brave front when he had said goodbye, but Duo could see straight through it. Too bad that he couldn't have brought him along, but one hour of "Japanese swearing" was more then enough, thank you very much. So he had left him standing in the hallway, alone to face the entire Maxwell clan.

Duo couldn't really understand Wufei's social fear, it didn't make any sense because as far as he could see, Wufei could handle himself just fine among people. He might not be a social butterfly but he could still talk to anyone about just about anything. You just had to get him started. Duo had a feeling that a lot of people just thought that Wufei didn't want to talk and therefore didn't try hard enough to get him going. But Duo had noticed that Wufei did like to talk to people, it just took him awhile before he could relax and realize that 'yes, this person wants to talk to me.'

Duo also noticed that Wufei had a lot easier time talking to people put before him, almost like Wufei trusted him to only introduce him to nice people. Duo really didn't want to think about what had happened to his lover to result in this kind of behavior.

With a sigh he swore to himself that he was going to do everything he could to make sure that Wufei never had to feel any kind of fear about talking to people. But to do that he had to start off by getting home.

The untouched snow crunched under Duo's feet as he walked back to where he parked. He brushed the closest snow of the roof of the car before he opened the door. He hated it when snow fell into the car and melted on the seat. Sitting down sideways on the seat he took his time kicking the snow off the underside of his boots against the edge of the car. He was not going to give Solo any reasons to complain over his use of the rusty old car. He would have taken his own since it was a hell of a lot better, but there had been four cars parked in his way so he had to borrow his brother's.

The heat that had been in the car on the way there was long gone by the time he slammed the door closed. Duo shivered as he put his cold hands on the wheel. "God, I hope this piece of shit makes it back home." He mumbled to himself as he turned the key. The car screeched loudly before the engine barely managed to kick in. Duo grinned in triumph as he got the rusty vehicle rolling over the parking lot and out on the road.

Unfortunately, his luck did not last long.

Twenty minutes later as the car slowly worked its way up a hill, it suddenly gave off a loud whining noise and the wheels started to spin on the ice. Duo took his foot off the gas and let the car slide down a bit before trying again. The car grumbled a bit as it worked its way up a couple of feet before once again starting to slide down the hill. After swearing quite colorfully, Duo tried to get it going again but without results. The car was stuck on a deserted dirt road going through 'the pitbull's' land and his cellphone batterie was dead. Duo leaned his forehead against the chilled steering wheel. "Fuck." He whispered helplessly as the snow started to fall in wet heavy flakes.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Almost forty minutes later, a shivering Duo stumbled through the doorway. He sighed in relief when he felt the warm air caress his face and as soon as the door closed behind him, he was removing his winter clothes as fast as his frozen fingers could manage. He knew that he should put all his snow covered clothes on the rack over the bathtub, but he was far too cold to care about his mother's disapproval as he threw his wet gloves on the floor. The gloves were soon followed by a snow covered beanie, a snot stained scarf, a wet jacket and a soaking pare of boots. He should probably go change his clothes, but he only wanted to find his lover. Everything was going to be fine as soon as he had him. Duo found his boyfriend sitting by the kitchen table with his mother, his grandmother and his two aunts. They were drinking tea and eating sugar cookies and talking about sewing machines. Duo blinked as he looked at how comfortable Wufei looked surrounded by females. Wufei really had been around too many women while growing up, especially since Wufei told him that his best friend when he had been a child was an over seventy years old woman named Doris.

"Duo." Wufei's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?" His lover asked as he got to his feet and walked over to him.

Duo snuffled wetly. "Cold." He responded in a pitiful voice.

He knew that he probably sounded like a five year old with a splinter in his finger but he couldn't find the will to care. He was cold and he wanted Wufei to fix it. His boyfriend put a hand that had obviously been heated up on his tea mug around his cold fingers.

"You're freezing. Come here, sit down." Wufei ordered and Duo let himself be dragged along and before he could blink he found himself sitting sideways in Wufei's lap. A soft blanket that Wufei seemed to pull out of thin air was thrown over his shoulders and the Asian's arms wrapped themselves around his waist. "Suz, could you pour Duo some tea, please?"

'I leave him alone for an hour and when I get back he's on nickname basis with my mother.' Duo thought as he ducked his head to hide his smile.

Duo accepted the mug that his mother gave him without protests even if he felt a bit silly sitting there. He was a full grown man for god's sakes, he should be able to take a bit of cold without having to be babied when he got back. But the thought of getting off of Wufei's lap so he could go and take care of himself felt awful. Instead he managed to bend down enough to put his head on Wufei's shoulder and breathed in deeply. He felt himself relax as if his body had realized that it had finally reached its destination. Wufei's blue sweater was soft against his face and he rubbed his nose against it. 'I have to get him more of these.' He thought contently as he closed his eyes.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Unfortunately for Duo, he didn't get to stay in his protected corner of the world for long. Solo had stormed in and forced him to come with him to tow the car that Duo (according to his brother) had trashed. When they finally came back with the rusty old monster, Duo immediately went to find his boyfriend again. It didn't take long before he found him sitting in the living room, once again surrounded by females. Wufei hadn't seen him come in and Duo tried desperately to ignore the totally unfounded jealousy he felt as he looked over at Tres' wife Molly who was sitting next to Wufei on the couch. They were smiling happily at each other while they were talking and Duo's back tensed as Wufei's knee brushed Molly's pantyhose covered thigh. He found himself repeating a mantra through his head, 'married-children-gay, married-children-gay, married-children-gay.' But in the end it didn't work and he had just happened to bump into her elbow when he walked passed her, making her spill tea all over her dress.

He felt slightly bad when she left to dry herself off, but on the other hand she didn't have to sit so -fucking close- to his lover.

Wufei just sipped his coffee and gave him a look over the edge of his cup that told him that not only did he know exactly what he was doing, he also though it was funny as hell. Duo sat down on the now empty seat next to his lover who took his hand in his.

Wufei leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I love you, I'm gay, we were talking about you. Now relax and have a cookie."

Duo automatically opened his mouth as the Asian brought a small pink cookie to his lips.

"Good boy." Wufei teased as Duo chewed.

Duo did feel bad when Molly came back with her dress still covered with big dark stains. He apologized a lot more honestly this time while Wufei held his hand and gently stroked his fingers with his thumb.

Later after Molly and her husband had taken the kids back home, they decided to do the same. After getting all their winter clothes on, they said good bye to his grandparents and the rest of the family that was still there before stepping out in the cold night air. Duo took a deep breath and turned to his boyfriend. "I'm so sorry." He was going to apologize more profoundly but Wufei put a glove covered hand over his mouth.

"It's alright number two, just relax." The Chinese said and took a hold of his neck to bend him down. He then proceeded to give him a long deep kiss that made Duo mentally pat himself on the back for being such a fantastic teacher.

Kind dark eyes looked up at him. "Do you feel better now?"

Duo nodded. "I didn't really think that... you know. It's just that..." He trailed off with a sad helpless shrug. His jealously had no logic, he know that. But in that moment when his blood started do boil and that horrible sticky feeling spread in his body, logic didn't matter. He hated that he had to be this way, especially towards Wufei who had never given him anything but love and understanding. His lover deserved so much better and he knew that not even Wufei would put up with his suspicions and his accusations forever. He just didn't know how to stop. Duo wanted to reach inside himself and cut that part of himself out so that he would never have to feel that way again or be in this situation again. 'For god's sake, it's my brother's wife and my -boyfriend- how the hell can anyone be this paranoid?!' He thought as he mentally beat himself over the head for being a complete idiot.

Wufei smiled. "I know that you don't, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that it's funny as hell." With that he poked him on the nose and turned to walk towards the car. Duo blinked in surprise and rubbed his nose lightly before hurrying to catch up with his lover.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Queenskin – Thank you :)

Tearles – Of course, anything for you :)

sylenctone – How did you know that was going to happen? moves away you're scary. You are so right that it's creepy. grin you are fantastic, thank you so much for your review

Cristalake – I'm happy you liked it. I'm going to try to make my chapters longer, I promise. Scouts honor... and yes before you ask, I was a scout... when I was seven, but still! Thank you for pointing it out. :)

princess cythera – I'll do my best. I hope you thought this chapter was just as cute :)

windwraith – Awww, now I just want Wufei to get some real puppies. Maybe that swill cure his dislike of dogs. No one can hate puppies, right?

Shogi- Thank you. Yes that review kept me satisfied for a long time, thank you. Quatra is Quatre... in female form and... lowers voice Psst, come closer... waves you over Trowa, will show up in chapter 8.

Ronin101 – grin OMG I am so happy that you and your roommate liked it. I don't know if this chapter was just as cute, but how many aww's did it get?

Tanya G – You are very welcome and I hope you liked this chapter too :)

Turtle Kid – Well if I said yes that would be a bit too much pot/cattle for my taste. I own one manga and I have seen one episode. But one the other hand, there isn't all that many children (except them selves) in it (that I know of anyway). Who knows? I like to think that this Wufei is how Wufei could have been if he didn't have his honor and his warrior ways to hide behind.

AmberEyes87 - I feel very proud hat I could put a smile on you face:)

spider-jen – Oh, I hear you. The basement is actually one of the best places to hide during family gatherings.

Oh, and a late responds to Rosethorn2 who reviewed the last chapter. - Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that you could recognize yourself in Wufei's situation.

A/N

Sorry it took me such a long time to get this up. Both my beta and I have been swamped for a while now but the next chapter should be done and up by next Friday.

The story that Wufei is telling the kids is actually one of my favorite fairy tales... but on the other hand... it might not be so fitting for small children. The story is called "the magical mirror" and is originally from the Ivory coast in Africa. The story is about a man that gets a magical mirror from the king of snakes that grants all his wishes. He builds a great kingdom and they all live happily for many years. Then the white people came with their ships... you can all tell where this is going, right? The man and his people greet the newcomers and everything is great... until the white people turn in to assholes and starts to invade. But they are easily beaten by the man and his magical mirror. One day a white man comes knocking on the city gate and asks for help. He's being hunted by his own because he is against what they are doing to the people. They feel sorry for him and he is allowed to stay with them. The white man now becomes a 'friend' to the king's daughter who of course is an idiot and shows her new friend where the magical mirror is hidden. The white man then steals the mirror and the kingdom falls while it's people is enslaved. The story ends with the word; "And as long as the white man has the magical mirror the people can not be free." Makes you want to cry, right? The story was probably used to explain to small children why they were slaves. It's a pretty sad story but I don't think Wufei is one to know that many happy stories.

A/N 2

Sorry about that strange POV change there in the middle. I just couldn't help myself :)

A/N 3

Maybe I should explain why I keep talking about snow when ever I can. The thing is that I really miss having a real winter. GLOBAL HEATING SUCKS! (And who ever claims that there is no global heating need a reality check) We haven't had a real winter in four years. The amount of snow that we got this winter is about as much as we used to get in October five years ago. I hate it. I really really really hate it. I miss snow.

A/N 4

Psst, a little secret for those of you that liked protective!Wufei. You are probably going to like the next chapter.


	8. The swizzle stick hero

Chapter 7 (The swizzle stick hero)

The sound of a throbbing bass met the couple as they stepped into the nightclub. It was still early but the club was already packed with people.

They were there to meet Duo's friends and the braided man could hardly wait to introduce Wufei to them. They were going to love him, he just knew it.

To bad that his lover didn't know that.

Wufei hadn't protested against being dragged to another town and into the popular gay night club, but there was a slight frown between his eyes, indicating that he was not all that comfortable as they walked into 'The Starship'.

"You okay?" Duo asked and raised his hand up to his lover's forehead to smooth out the lines there. Duo had for once managed to convince Wufei to put his hair up in a ponytail and not hide his face behind a curtain of black hair. But old habits seamed to die hard since Wufei still hung his head like he always did to hide his face in public. Duo swore that one of these days he was going to make sure that his boyfriend could hold his head up high and be proud of his Chinese inheritance.

Wufei sighed as he looked around the dim club and all the barely dressed men around them. "I'll be fine. If I can survive your entire family all at once, I can survive your friends."

Duo hoped he would anyway. His friends had a way of making people uncomfortable. "I did mention that they were a bit... vulgar, right?"

Wufei smiled and laced their fingers together. "Yes Duo, you did. Don't worry, they are not going to scare me away."

Duo wasn't convinced since most of his old boyfriends had hated his friends. But on the other hand, Wufei wasn't like most of his exes.

"Well, they should be here soon. Maybe we should get something to drink." He leered as a thought struck him. "I actually know the perfect drink for you."

"Oh, really?" His lover replied a bit skeptical.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." He said as he gave his boyfriend a quick kiss before walking towards the bar. One thing that was good about "The Starship" was that he always got served straight away at the bar. He didn't really want to think about why that was, since he was pretty sure it had something to do with that night that he had gotten drunk on tequila and made it his goal to suck off all the bartenders working there. No, he really didn't want to think about that. He pretended not to notice the bartenders obvious flirting and returned to his lover.

"Here." He said with a wide smile as he handed Wufei his drink. The Chinese only lifted a eyebrow as he took the 'pink panther' in his hand. He inspected the baby pink liquid and the glittery pink swizzle stick in amusement.

"You are having way too much fun with this." He said as he stirred the flamingo shaped stick around in the thick whipped cream that was covering the drink.

"Maybe." Duo smiled wickedly, only to have his mouth dropped open and his eyes go wide as he watched his lover suck the overflowing cream off his fingers.

"Mmm, sweet." Wufei purred teasingly. "Want some?" He held his cream covered fingers out. For a heartbeat Duo just stared at the white fluff sprinkled with dark red strawberry sauce before diving in. He wrapped his lips around the offered fingers and hungrily sucking them deep into his mouth. By the intense look on his lover's face, he was -so- getting laid tonight. Duo could hardly wait and he played with the thought of dragging his beautiful lover off to a dark corner where he could have his wicked way with him. But he quickly decided against it. Wufei was worth much more then a quickie up against a wall in a nightclub.

By the time Wufei had run out of cream, Duo's pants was much too tight and he was in need of another beer. He left his smirking lover standing by one of the bar tables and walked towards the bar. More people had started to arrive and the braided man felt very uncomfortable as he started to looked around the club and realized that he recognized quite a few of the men there. Old boyfriends, old lovers, old fuck buddys and just plain old one night stands were all over the place. He really hoped that no one would try to do or say something about the way he used to be while he was living here. Especially in front of Wufei. He knew it was naive, but he couldn't stop himself from wishing.

'God, why did I agree to meet them -here- of all places?' He thought to himself as he once again ignored the bartender's flirting. But there was a part of him that had a very obvious answer to that question. It was the fact that he had never been to 'The Starship' while in a steady relationship and he now wanted to show off his hot -steady- boyfriend. To show everyone that he wasn't 'like that' anymore. He had always been the one that was alone at the club until he could find someone who wanted a quick fuck. He was always the available one that anyone could have if they just bought him a drink, pretended to be nice and gave him a small hint that they might want more then just a one night stand. And he would fall for it every single time.

A few guys were giving him the usual hints that they were interested and Duo was really starting to question this outing. Going out at all around Christmas probably wasn't such a good idea, especially since people usually got a bit too happy in their celebration. They could have stayed home and made some whipped cream of their own. There was even some chocolate sauce in the refrigerator. They would have had the house all to themselves since everyone had plans elsewhere. Just him and Wufei. Fuck everyone else. But it was too late for that now since the gang should be here any time now... but maybe later. He made a mental note to kidnap the chocolate sauce.

With a new beer in his hand he made his way back trough the crowd, trying to avoid getting groped on the way, only to find one of his old fuck buddies chatting up his boyfriend. 'Damn, I should just glue myself to his side the rest of the night. I really should know better by now than to leave him unattended, especially at 'The Starship'. There are too many creeps in here.' Steeling himself he marched up them.

"Hey Fredric." He said in what he hoped was a polite sounding voice. It wouldn't do to just growl at him like the jealous lover that he was.

The stylishly dressed blond turned towards him. "Duo! Long time no see. What have you been up to?" He asked with a suggesting leer.

Duo forced himself to smile. "Oh, nothing much. Home for the holidays. I see you met my boyfriend."

Fredric gave a startled laugh and turned to Wufei. "Man, you're -dating- the town slut?! Ha! Good luck with that one. Seriously, I wouldn't do it, if I were you. I'm not saying he's bad in the sack, but if you want to have something that's going to last, you don't date a mattress, if you know what I mean." Fredric snickered as he gave Duo a skeptical one over.

Duo's throat suddenly felt very tight, like he couldn't get enough oxygen into his lungs. The club's air that had felt uncomfortably hot just a few seconds ago now made him shiver in cold. He knew that he should say something funny right now and just pretend that those words didn't bother him. 'Come on Duo. Make a joke, make a joke out of it. Don't just stand there. Make a joke.' He thought frantically. But for some reason his mouth wouldn't work and he could only stare at blond. He shouldn't take the words so seriously, the man was a half drunk idiot with a small cock. He didn't matter. But still... they hurt. 'Why the hell did he have to say those things in front of Wufei? It not like I don't know that I'm used merchandise, but did he really have to rub it in Wufei's face?'

"You." Duo heard his boyfriend hiss in a tight voice. He glanced over at his lover who was standing next to him. He looked absolutely furious. Dark eyes glared with venom at Duo's ex.

"You." He repeated to the tipsy man. "Better apologize -really- fucking fast." His eyes was flashing as he stepped closer. "Right now. Or I'm going to hunt you down and I'm going to cut you up in pieces while you lay screaming on the floor." He poked the surprised looking man hard in the neck with his swizzle stick. "The tiles will be painted with your blood and guts while I scrape the flesh of your bones. Your pain filled cries will bounce of the walls and echo down the empty corridors as I saw you up in thin slices. The last thing you will see in this life will be my smiling face as I start to dispose of what is left of your rancid body. And if you think, even for a second that I wont do it, you should know that I cut up pigs like you for a living." The ex stared at the fuming Chinese with wide eyes. "Well? I think someone is still waiting for your apology." Wufei spit out and stabbed him roughly with the glittery plastic stick.

The blond swallowed thickly. "Ah, well. Sorry Duo... I- I didn't-"

Wufei cut him off. "Just get the fuck out of here. And if I see you even looking at my lover, there will be hell to pay." The man didn't waste any time as he shuffled away as fast as he could from the pissed of Asian.

Duo blinked. "That was so... sweet. Not to mention strangely hot. Freaky, but hot." But despite his words, his smile was a bit stained as he looked away and took a deep swig of his beer. He felt strangely reluctant to meet Wufei's eyes. "You didn't have to do that. Not because of that. It wasn't like he was saying anything new."

His lover carefully put his glass down on the table before wrapping a arm around his waist and turned his head to look him straight in the eye. "You are not a slut."

Duo tensed up. "But-"

Wufei cut him of as he repeated himself. "You. Are. Not. A. Slut." He said, emphasizing every word. He took a hold of Duo's tightly wrapped fist and pulled lightly at his fingers until he uncurled them. The shorter man then broth it up to his mouth where he places a soft kiss in the palm of his hand. "You are my angel."

Duo could feel himself melting into a sappy little puddle of fluff on the floor.

"Thanks." His said softly as he started to blush. "No one has ever defended me like that before... And where did you come up with all that? It was so cool."

"It was nothing... I just watch too much TV." Wufei mumbled and shuffled his feet.

The braided man grinned and wrapped his arms tightly around his slender lover. "My hero." He whispered roughly into his hair.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

That's it for now, the next chapter should be posted next Friday.

Blacksteel1 -grin- That makes me very happy to hear. Thank you for telling me because now I'm the one with the warm, fuzzy feeling inside :)

Shogi – No, Duo's bad day was before they started dating. I don't have any plans for Trowa and Quatra to get together... not right now anyway... but I could probably be talked in to it... even if Trowa is eight years older O.o

Chazzdiver – Wufei, jealous? -blinks- I don't know if this version of Wufei can be jealous... but who knows? Now when you have planted the idea, then who knows what could happen :)

princess cythera – Ahhh, great, I live for the cuteness! Thank you

Turtle kid – I think you are right, Wufei in this story should be able to handle all those kids just fine. Oh, and you're not the only one who's grateful for having understanding friends. Man, why some of them haven't dumped my ass years ago is a mystery. Hmm, something else... oh yeah... no snow? O.o how strange

EbonyOsmosis – I hope you liked protective!Wufei (there will be more). Duo's jealousy is going to show it's ugly face again very soon. Something that Duo is going to regret greatly. Hmm, a short story about Duo's bad day? Hmmm, who knows. Remind me again later and I just might write it for you.

Just so you know it, I am (and have always been) a whore for art, so if you send me something I'm probably going to do anything you ask of me. **Hey! here is a thought; if anyone draws me something (anything, stick figures are greatly underestimated!) I will write that person their very own side story chapter in the end of this fiction. **

-clears throat- And now it's time for me to beg.

-gets down on knees- Please?

-Looks up at you- Please review?

-Tears starts to run down face- Please master, please tell me what you thought?

-Kisses you feet- Please?


	9. The hands

Chapter 9 - A incoming train.

Duo sluggishly opened his eyes. Everything was white. Where was he? It looked like a hospital room.

"Duo."

Duo blinked and turned his head to the side. A face came into view.

His mouth was dry and his tongue felt too big. "Matt."

The dark man smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Ssshit." He slurred

"I hear ya."

"Wu?"

"He will be right back. He went to call your mom."

Duo groaned. "What happened?"

"Someone probably put some shit in your beer. And since we found Treize with his hands down your pants, we have a pretty obvious suspect."

Duo almost felt his heart stop. A million questions flashed through his mind but he settled for the most important one. "We?"

Matt frowned. "We what?"

"Who we?"

"Oh, me and Wufei."

Duo closed his eyes tightly. 'Great, one night at 'The Starship' and I manage to destroy the best relationship I have ever had. Wufei defends me and I go and get high and have sex...' Duo's brain suddenly catches up to what he had just been told and comes to a terrifying realization. He turned to his friend. "Did I get?"

"Raped? No, we got there before anything happened. But I tell you, it was fucking close. God damn, the sight when we got the door open...he had you up against the fucking wall with his hand over your mouth. He had his fucking dick out and everything. Shit it was scary. We got him the fuck off you but we couldn't catch you in time before you fell. You hit your head on the way down and there was blood all over the fucking place. Shit. All hell broke loss. We couldn't get you to wake up, Treize was trying to make up some fucking bullshit explanation while Wufei were trying to fucking kill him. The guards came in and... yeah. Fucking chaos."

"Is he okay?"

"Wufei? Yeah, a bit shook up, but other than that." He laughed. "Damn, for such a small guy, he is one fucking vicious little guard dog. Almost ripped the fucker to pieces."

That warm fuzzy feeling spread throw him. Maybe Wu wasn't angry with him. He couldn't stop a pleased little smile from spreading."Yeah?"

Matt snickered. "Oh yeah, It was fucking insane. Treize is at least three times his fucking size but he had the fucker on the floor in like two seconds. Don't ask me how he did it because I don't fucking know."

Duo gave his friend a tired smile. "I don't think Wufei is the only one that is shaken up."

"What? Why?"

"Because you've been saying 'fuck' about two thousand times since I woke up."

Matt snorted. "Can you blame me? Fucking shitty night."

There was a sound from over by the door and Duo carefully turned his head to watch an extremely tired looking Wufei walk in. Unease spread trough his body like wild fire. But when he meet Wufei's relieved eyes, all his fears about Wufei being angry with him just blow away.

Dark eyes looked at him lovingly as his lover walked over to him. "Hey Angel, how are you?"

Duo wondered if it would be very un-manly and pathetic to just whimper and crawl up in his lover's lap.

"Ok." He answered and scooted over when Wufei made a move to sit down next to him on the hospital bed. A sharp pain from the back of his head made him flinch. "Ow." He complained quietly and raised his hand to touch the bandages.

"You cut up your head pretty bad. They had to shave off some hair to stitch it up." Wufei looked heart broken at his own words.

Duo smiled. "It'll grow back again."

"Yeah." Wufei bent down and placed a light kiss on top of his head.

"Well, I need to go call the others and tell them that you are alright." Matt said as he got to his feet. He groaned slightly as he stretched his back out. "Fucking shitty fucking uncomfortable fucking chairs." He mumbled as he walked out.

"So how are you really?" Wufei asked, as he throw his legs up on the bed and leaned back next to him.

Duo sighed and scooted further down so that he could lean on his boyfriend. Wufei opened his arms and pulled him up against his chest. Turning his head slightly to avoid the stitches, Duo put his head down on the other's shoulders and hid his face in his neck.

He relaxed with a deep breath of the familiar smell of his lover. Wufei didn't say anything, he just held him tight and stroked his back.

"I'm tired, I feel like throwing up, my head hurts, I feel sluggish and I have a really, really, really bad taste in my mouth."

Wufei laughed slightly. "My poor angel, most of those things I can't do anything about, but maybe the last one."

A smooth hand took a hold of his chin and carefully angled his head up. Duo let his eyes slide shut as his lips met Wufei's. Slowly they danced against each other. The taste of coffee, something sweet and his lover invaded his mouth.

Wufei pulled back with a smile. "I'm going to have to agree with you. That really was a very bad taste." He said before kissing him again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

It was dark when Duo woke up and a quick look at his wristwatch told his that it was seven in the evening. He had spent the entire day at the hospital, falling in and out of sleep but always with Wufei by his side. This was why he was a bit taken aback when he woke up alone in his hospital bed. Looking around he soon found his lover standing over by the window with his back to him. It looked like he was deep in thought.

"Wu?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah?" The Asian responded without turning around but Duo did notice that his back had tensed noticeably at the sound of his voice.

"Are you okay?"

There was a slight hesitation before he responded. "I'm fine. The doctor was here earlier and we can leave as soon as Matt gets back with the car."

"Oh." Duo opened his mouth to say something more but he didn't know what. It was strange, he had never had any problems talking to Wufei before. But it was just something about talking to Wufei's tensed back that set him on edge. The hospital room was quiet as both men stared out into the air.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo had called his parents in the car on the way back and convinced them that he was fine and that they didn't have to come home earlier. He would admit that he had down played the whole thing but he just couldn't stand it when people tried to take care of him, especially when there was nothing wrong with him. His head hurt a bit but other than that, everything was fine. Well, he was fine, but the wasn't so sure about Wufei who was acting strange.

Ever since Duo had woken up, Wufei had been distant. It wasn't that he was shying away from him and he didn't seemed to be angry with him, not really. Just distant. Wufei was thinking hard about something but when Duo had asked him what it was he was thinking about, his lover had just shaken his head and looked out the window.

He didn't act all that differently towards Duo, he still held his hand when ever he wanted to and he still did everything to make him comfortable. But there was still something in his eyes that told him that Wufei wasn't really there. Especially since Wufei had hardly said a word to him the whole ride tried to start up a few random conversations but got only tense replies back. It was almost like when Wufei meets someone that he doesn't know, like he would talk to a stranger on the bus. Duo tried to ignore it, but it hurt.

He wanted his Wufei back. He wanted the cuddly sweet man that kissed him even when his mouth tasted like crap, who called him an angel and stroked his hair.

He knew that he was pushing and that he should just hold back and let Wufei work out whatever it was that he was thinking about on his own. But the urge to touch, to cling only got bigger as he tried to restrain himself. It burned that he even had to try. He had never had to hold back with Wufei before, he had always given in to his impulses and Wufei would just smile. His arms ached to hold his lover close but he knew that he shouldn't.

They were both silent as they got home. The house was dark and Duo bit his lip anxiously as Wufei didn't immediately switch on all the lights as he usually did. He followed Wufei's back through the dark hallway, up the stairs and into his old bedroom. Not once did Wufei even glance his way.

Wufei emidiantly started changing his clothes for bed with his back turned to him. The clothes that his lover usually would have folded and put on the computer chair was thrown in a heap on the floor. Duo watched as the hair band that he had spent so long to convince Wufei to wear unceremoniously fell to the floor. Panic bubbled in his chest and he didn't stop to think about what he was doing or the consequences as he throw himself at his lover's back, making both of them tumble down on the bed.

Wufei's fell head first on the bed, barely missing hitting his head on the head board. "What are-" Wufei started but got cut off as Duo turned his boyfriend's head towards him and kissed him messily. Wufei made a slight move to get away but Duo refused to let that happen and kissed him deeper as his hand palmed the Asians crouch. Fumbling to get Wufei's boxers off with one hand, the other quickly found one of the bottles of baby oil that could always be found in his nightstand since his early teens. Wufei was trying to say something but Duo was far too scared to hear what he had to say to even think about stopping. [A/N Scene censored because of FF witch hunt. Will be rewritten in the future when I find the time]

The sex was rushed as they both almost desperately climbed towards their release. It was over far too quickly and Duo collapsed next to his lover.

Duo tiredly wrapped his arms around Wufei's chest as the other man rolled over on his back. Dark hair tickled his face as he rubbed his nose against the soft slightly sweaty skin behind his lover's ear. Taking a deep breath, he finally let himself relax. He was so sick of being this paranoid. Wufei was probably just tired, Matt had said that he had been pretty shaken up by the whole thing so it was probably just something left from that. It wasn't like he could demand that Wufei had to be the perfect attentive boyfriend every minute of every day. It was probably nothing and everything was going to be just fine the next day. His parents and Q were going to get back sometime tomorrow so they could all spend the day together. No worries, just some peace and quiet.

But no matter what his mind tried to tell him, Duo still fell asleep with a hollow feeling in his chest when Wufei's arms didn't wrap themselves around him like they usually did.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo didn't know what had woke him up. He just knew that something was wrong. The room was dark and a look over at his glow in the dark batman clock told him the it was in the middle of the night.

"Wu?" Duo mumbled in question when he fumbled over the cold empty space next to him on the narrow twin bead.

"I'm here." A tired voice spoke from somewhere in the dark.

Duo sat up with blurry eyes and tried to make out his lover. A creaking noise from his old computer chair told him where Wufei was seated.

There was a long silence.

"Why are you awake? You're usually out before your head hits the pillow." Duo joked awkwardly, trying to break the tense atmosphere in the room.

Wufei sighed. "I never went to sleep. I've been thinking... and I- I now know that there is something that I... have to say to you."

Duo almost stopped breathing at the sound of his lover's tense and somewhat nervous voice.

"I wasn't going to say anything about it, but then... all of this happened." Wufei's weak voice spoke from inside the dark.

A cold feeling spread through Duo's body and suddenly he knew this was it. This was were the dream ended.

"I didn't want to do anything to hurt our relationship but..." Wufei sighed. "This... I have to do this because I can't stay quiet anymore. I just can't."

Duo swallowed thickly. It felt like his throat had shrunken as his breath came in short shallow rasps.

The computer chair creaked. "This isn't something new. I- I actually started thinking about it when we were back home... but I told myself that I was wrong to even think about it. Why risk a good thing, you know. But.. then we came here and I got to see a whole different side of you, a side that you had been hiding from me... It's been hanging over my head for quite a while now. I've been able to ignore it but this... this just..." Wufei trailed off and there was a long silence in the dark room.

'So this is how it ends.' Duo thought as he pulled his knees up against his chest. He should have known that it was too good to be true. As his eyes started to adjust he could see the hunched over shape of his lover over by the desk with the help of the pale moonlight that were shining trough the window. The distance between them had never felt so far. Duo wanted to be angry, wanted to protest loudly against the incoming end, but he could hardly force himself to breath.

He felt like he was sitting on a train rail, just waiting for it. He could hear the sound of the incoming train and the vibrations in the ground but he couldn't do anything to save himself.

He desperately tried to think if there was anything that he could do or say to stop this, to make his love stay but there was nothing. Duo closed his eyes and tried to stop his tears.

"Wufei." He pleaded.

"Please, just let me say this. If I don't do it now I might never get the courage to do it. I- I just..." His lover took a shaky breath.

"Yesterday might just be- no, I know that yesterday was the worst day of my life."

Duo flinched.

"I saw you leave the table and I just knew that something was wrong. Something in the way you moved just screamed that you were hiding something. I was going to follow you but there was so many people there and I hardly had time to blink before you had disappeared in the crowd." Wufei took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "Then when we finally found you... I- I could hardly believe my eyes."

Duo ducked his head to hid his burning eyes.

"He was touching you, like he had a right to do it while you were just hanging there in his arms... I've never been that angry in my life."

There was another long silence and Duo struggled not to let his painful breathing be too loud.

"I might be new to love, relationships and all this but I- I know myself and I want- I- I know when there's-... there's- when it's... shit." The chair creaked and he heard Wufei get to his feet.

Wufei's steps echoed painfully in his head as they came towards him. Duo knew that he probably looked totally pathetic where he was curled up like a frightened child with his head bowed. He knew that he should straighten up and look his -oh no, no, please, god no, NO, no, no- soon to be ex-boyfriend in the eye but he could do nothing but curl up tighter and hope that the dark would hide him as much as possible.

Wufei's voice spoke out from next to the bed. "I've been thinking about it for quite a while but I talked myself out of it because... we were good together and I didn't want to..." Wufei cut himself off in annoyance. "Damn, this is hard. I'm just trying to say that- I want to- that I think we should..." Wufei stopped and the silence that followed was like a physical touch. A cold harsh touch. "I convinced myself that we were fine." Wufei sighed.

"But then we came here and I got to see a whole different side of you that you had only let me see glimpses of before. I know now that you were holding back and hiding those sides of yourself, showing me someone who wasn't fully real... Maybe we don't know each other all that well. Maybe we could need more time but... no, I doubt that it will change my mind." Duo felt the bed dip next to him and he tried not to flinch.

"I might regret the way I said it because god knows I'm not handling this speech all that well. I'm not trying to make this more complicated then it is but, but I just want to explain why I'm doing this... It's selfish I know and I know that there is a risk... that things probably wont be the same as before and for that I'm sorry." Wufei's voice sounded heavy and slow like he was stalling to say the words that he was working himself up to saying.

Duo peeked up from behind his arms to look at the dark shape that was his love. The pale light from the moon played over Wufei's frowning face and Duo's fingers itched to stroke those lines away. But he was about to lose that right.

How was he going to go on after this? How was he going to keep living his life? Duo tried to imagine going back to class knowing that Wufei was sitting all alone up there in the back. Did Wufei still want to be his friend? Duo didn't know if he could do that. No, he couldn't go back. It would be torture to be close to Wufei but not be allowed to touch him. It had been hard enough to keep his hand off of him when they were just friends, but now when he knew what his skin felt like, what it felt like to be touched by him, to be loved by him, to love him so much that it hurt, there was no way that he could do it. Duo wanted to die.

"So what I wanted to do was to give you this." Duo looked over at his lover and just stared on the small velvet covered jewelry box that Wufei was holding out in the palm of his hand. Wufei's shaking hands clumsily opened the lid. "It's just a promise ring, so it doesn't have to be that serious."

Duo just gaped with his eyes wide as he stared at the golden ring held out to him.

Wufei flinched. "I knew this was a bad idea. Shit, I'm sorry." He closed the lid with a sharp click. "I wasn't going to give it to you, but last night I kept thinking that if you would just wake up I would do it. It was all I could think about in the ambulance. That I should just have given it to you, no matter how stupid it would have been. You were lying there with a acid mask over your face and I could barely hold your hand for all the wires and tubes. You wouldn't wake up and I- I was so scared, so fucking scared. I kept thinking, over and over again that I should have told you that I should just have given it to you. I'm sorry, but I promised myself that if you would just wake up I would-"

Duo cut him off by taking a hold of his lover's shoulders and trowing him down on the bed. His hands fumbled as they clawed at Wufei's boxers and a primal whine made it's way out of his throat. [A/N Scene censored because of FF witch hunt. Will be rewritten in the future when I find the time]

"I'll take that as a yes." Wufei panted as he clung to his lover.

"Fuck yes." Duo hissed out as he spread Wufei's legs out wider. "You're mine."

Wufei smiled with his head thrown back. "Yes."

"And you'll never leave me."

Wufei's nails bit into his shoulder blades. "Never."

Duo almost sobbed at the words. It was too much. Life could not get better than this.

[A/N Sorry :( scene censored because of FF witch hunt. Will be rewritten in the future when I find the time]

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

And we are back to the fluff, tell me, what did you think of the little trip to angst-land?

A huge thanks to my wonderful beta for all her help.

No time to answer the reviews since I just realized that my beta was done with this chapter and I'm leaving very soon (it's time to dance my ass off! YES!)

But I have to say thank you to Christalake who was all upset for my sake because she thought I deserved more reviews -hugs her- I really don't know why people don't review this story. I have a few theories. It might be because 2x5 isn't all that popular... but there are still people reading it... it might be because it's kind of happy, I think people mostly reviews stories with angst... but no that's not right ether. I almost got Duo raped and that got me even less reviews, lol. -shrugs- I don't know, it might simply be because people don't like it enough to have anything to say, who know. Well anyway, thank you for you kind words and thanks to everyone that actually left reviews, I really appreciate it


	10. A incoming train

Chapter 9 - A incoming train.

Duo sluggishly opened his eyes. Everything was white. Where was he? It looked like a hospital room.

"Duo."

Duo blinked and turned his head to the side. A face came into view.

His mouth was dry and his tongue felt too big. "Matt."

The dark man smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Ssshit." He slurred

"I hear ya."

"Wu?"

"He will be right back. He went to call your mom."

Duo groaned. "What happened?"

"Someone probably put some shit in your beer. And since we found Treize with his hands down your pants, we have a pretty obvious suspect."

Duo almost felt his heart stop. A million questions flashed through his mind but he settled for the most important one. "We?"

Matt frowned. "We what?"

"Who we?"

"Oh, me and Wufei."

Duo closed his eyes tightly. 'Great, one night at 'The Starship' and I manage to destroy the best relationship I have ever had. Wufei defends me and I go and get high and have sex...' Duo's brain suddenly catches up to what he had just been told and comes to a terrifying realization. He turned to his friend. "Did I get?"

"Raped? No, we got there before anything happened. But I tell you, it was fucking close. God damn, the sight when we got the door open...he had you up against the fucking wall with his hand over your mouth. He had his fucking dick out and everything. Shit it was scary. We got him the fuck off you but we couldn't catch you in time before you fell. You hit your head on the way down and there was blood all over the fucking place. Shit. All hell broke loss. We couldn't get you to wake up, Treize was trying to make up some fucking bullshit explanation while Wufei were trying to fucking kill him. The guards came in and... yeah. Fucking chaos."

"Is he okay?"

"Wufei? Yeah, a bit shook up, but other than that." He laughed. "Damn, for such a small guy, he is one fucking vicious little guard dog. Almost ripped the fucker to pieces."

That warm fuzzy feeling spread throw him. Maybe Wu wasn't angry with him. He couldn't stop a pleased little smile from spreading."Yeah?"

Matt snickered. "Oh yeah, It was fucking insane. Treize is at least three times his fucking size but he had the fucker on the floor in like two seconds. Don't ask me how he did it because I don't fucking know."

Duo gave his friend a tired smile. "I don't think Wufei is the only one that is shaken up."

"What? Why?"

"Because you've been saying 'fuck' about two thousand times since I woke up."

Matt snorted. "Can you blame me? Fucking shitty night."

There was a sound from over by the door and Duo carefully turned his head to watch an extremely tired looking Wufei walk in. Unease spread trough his body like wild fire. But when he meet Wufei's relieved eyes, all his fears about Wufei being angry with him just blow away.

Dark eyes looked at him lovingly as his lover walked over to him. "Hey Angel, how are you?"

Duo wondered if it would be very un-manly and pathetic to just whimper and crawl up in his lover's lap.

"Ok." He answered and scooted over when Wufei made a move to sit down next to him on the hospital bed. A sharp pain from the back of his head made him flinch. "Ow." He complained quietly and raised his hand to touch the bandages.

"You cut up your head pretty bad. They had to shave off some hair to stitch it up." Wufei looked heart broken at his own words.

Duo smiled. "It'll grow back again."

"Yeah." Wufei bent down and placed a light kiss on top of his head.

"Well, I need to go call the others and tell them that you are alright." Matt said as he got to his feet. He groaned slightly as he stretched his back out. "Fucking shitty fucking uncomfortable fucking chairs." He mumbled as he walked out.

"So how are you really?" Wufei asked, as he throw his legs up on the bed and leaned back next to him.

Duo sighed and scooted further down so that he could lean on his boyfriend. Wufei opened his arms and pulled him up against his chest. Turning his head slightly to avoid the stitches, Duo put his head down on the other's shoulders and hid his face in his neck.

He relaxed with a deep breath of the familiar smell of his lover. Wufei didn't say anything, he just held him tight and stroked his back.

"I'm tired, I feel like throwing up, my head hurts, I feel sluggish and I have a really, really, really bad taste in my mouth."

Wufei laughed slightly. "My poor angel, most of those things I can't do anything about, but maybe the last one."

A smooth hand took a hold of his chin and carefully angled his head up. Duo let his eyes slide shut as his lips met Wufei's. Slowly they danced against each other. The taste of coffee, something sweet and his lover invaded his mouth.

Wufei pulled back with a smile. "I'm going to have to agree with you. That really was a very bad taste." He said before kissing him again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

It was dark when Duo woke up and a quick look at his wristwatch told his that it was seven in the evening. He had spent the entire day at the hospital, falling in and out of sleep but always with Wufei by his side. This was why he was a bit taken aback when he woke up alone in his hospital bed. Looking around he soon found his lover standing over by the window with his back to him. It looked like he was deep in thought.

"Wu?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah?" The Asian responded without turning around but Duo did notice that his back had tensed noticeably at the sound of his voice.

"Are you okay?"

There was a slight hesitation before he responded. "I'm fine. The doctor was here earlier and we can leave as soon as Matt gets back with the car."

"Oh." Duo opened his mouth to say something more but he didn't know what. It was strange, he had never had any problems talking to Wufei before. But it was just something about talking to Wufei's tensed back that set him on edge. The hospital room was quiet as both men stared out into the air.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo had called his parents in the car on the way back and convinced them that he was fine and that they didn't have to come home earlier. He would admit that he had down played the whole thing but he just couldn't stand it when people tried to take care of him, especially when there was nothing wrong with him. His head hurt a bit but other than that, everything was fine. Well, he was fine, but the wasn't so sure about Wufei who was acting strange.

Ever since Duo had woken up, Wufei had been distant. It wasn't that he was shying away from him and he didn't seemed to be angry with him, not really. Just distant. Wufei was thinking hard about something but when Duo had asked him what it was he was thinking about, his lover had just shaken his head and looked out the window.

He didn't act all that differently towards Duo, he still held his hand when ever he wanted to and he still did everything to make him comfortable. But there was still something in his eyes that told him that Wufei wasn't really there. Especially since Wufei had hardly said a word to him the whole ride back.Duo tried to start up a few random conversations but got only tense replies back. It was almost like when Wufei meets someone that he doesn't know, like he would talk to a stranger on the bus. Duo tried to ignore it, but it hurt.

He wanted his Wufei back. He wanted the cuddly sweet man that kissed him even when his mouth tasted like crap, who called him an angel and stroked his hair.

He knew that he was pushing and that he should just hold back and let Wufei work out whatever it was that he was thinking about on his own. But the urge to touch, to cling only got bigger as he tried to restrain himself. It burned that he even had to try. He had never had to hold back with Wufei before, he had always given in to his impulses and Wufei would just smile. His arms ached to hold his lover close but he knew that he shouldn't.

They were both silent as they got home. The house was dark and Duo bit his lip anxiously as Wufei didn't immediately switch on all the lights as he usually did. He followed Wufei's back through the dark hallway, up the stairs and into his old bedroom. Not once did Wufei even glance his way.

Wufei emidiantly started changing his clothes for bed with his back turned to him. The clothes that his lover usually would have folded and put on the computer chair was thrown in a heap on the floor. Duo watched as the hair band that he had spent so long to convince Wufei to wear unceremoniously fell to the floor. Panic bubbled in his chest and he didn't stop to think about what he was doing or the consequences as he throw himself at his lover's back, making both of them tumble down on the bed.

Wufei's fell head first on the bed, barely missing hitting his head on the head board. "What are-" Wufei started but got cut off as Duo turned his boyfriend's head towards him and kissed him messily. Wufei made a slight move to get away but Duo refused to let that happen and kissed him deeper as his hand palmed the Asians crouch. Fumbling to get Wufei's boxers off with one hand, the other quickly found one of the bottles of baby oil that could always be found in his nightstand since his early teens. Wufei was trying to say something but Duo was far too scared to hear what he had to say to even think about stopping. He pulled Wufei up on his knees and spread his legs so that he could fit between them. Fumbling to get the bottle open before he quickly prepared Wufei. 'Too quickly' a voice whispered from the back of his head but Duo ignored it. Lining himself up he pushed in while Wufei was shivering with his face buried in his arms.

The sex was rushed as they both almost desperately climbed towards their release. It was over far too quickly and Duo collapsed next to his lover.

Duo tiredly wrapped his arms around Wufei's chest as the other man rolled over on his back. Dark hair tickled his face as he rubbed his nose against the soft slightly sweaty skin behind his lover's ear. Taking a deep breath, he finally let himself relax. He was so sick of being this paranoid. Wufei was probably just tired, Matt had said that he had been pretty shaken up by the whole thing so it was probably just something left from that. It wasn't like he could demand that Wufei had to be the perfect attentive boyfriend every minute of every day. It was probably nothing and everything was going to be just fine the next day. His parents and Q were going to get back sometime tomorrow so they could all spend the day together. No worries, just some peace and quiet.

But no matter what his mind tried to tell him, Duo still fell asleep with a hollow feeling in his chest when Wufei's arms didn't wrap themselves around him like they usually did.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo didn't know what had woke him up. He just knew that something was wrong. The room was dark and a look over at his glow in the dark batman clock told him the it was in the middle of the night.

"Wu?" Duo mumbled in question when he fumbled over the cold empty space next to him on the narrow twin bead.

"I'm here." A tired voice spoke from somewhere in the dark.

Duo sat up with blurry eyes and tried to make out his lover. A creaking noise from his old computer chair told him where Wufei was seated.

There was a long silence.

"Why are you awake? You're usually out before your head hits the pillow." Duo joked awkwardly, trying to break the tense atmosphere in the room.

Wufei sighed. "I never went to sleep. I've been thinking... and I- I now know that there is something that I... have to say to you."

Duo almost stopped breathing at the sound of his lover's tense and somewhat nervous voice.

"I wasn't going to say anything about it, but then... all of this happened." Wufei's weak voice spoke from inside the dark.

A cold feeling spread through Duo's body and suddenly he knew this was it. This was were the dream ended.

"I didn't want to do anything to hurt our relationship but..." Wufei sighed. "This... I have to do this because I can't stay quiet anymore. I just can't."

Duo swallowed thickly. It felt like his throat had shrunken as his breath came in short shallow rasps.

The computer chair creaked. "This isn't something new. I- I actually started thinking about it when we were back home... but I told myself that I was wrong to even think about it. Why risk a good thing, you know. But.. then we came here and I got to see a whole different side of you, a side that you had been hiding from me... It's been hanging over my head for quite a while now. I've been able to ignore it but this... this just..." Wufei trailed off and there was a long silence in the dark room.

'So this is how it ends.' Duo thought as he pulled his knees up against his chest. He should have known that it was too good to be true. As his eyes started to adjust he could see the hunched over shape of his lover over by the desk with the help of the pale moonlight that were shining trough the window. The distance between them had never felt so far. Duo wanted to be angry, wanted to protest loudly against the incoming end, but he could hardly force himself to breath.

He felt like he was sitting on a train rail, just waiting for it. He could hear the sound of the incoming train and the vibrations in the ground but he couldn't do anything to save himself.

He desperately tried to think if there was anything that he could do or say to stop this, to make his love stay but there was nothing. Duo closed his eyes and tried to stop his tears.

"Wufei." He pleaded.

"Please, just let me say this. If I don't do it now I might never get the courage to do it. I- I just..." His lover took a shaky breath.

"Yesterday might just be- no, I know that yesterday was the worst day of my life."

Duo flinched.

"I saw you leave the table and I just knew that something was wrong. Something in the way you moved just screamed that you were hiding something. I was going to follow you but there was so many people there and I hardly had time to blink before you had disappeared in the crowd." Wufei took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "Then when we finally found you... I- I could hardly believe my eyes."

Duo ducked his head to hid his burning eyes.

"He was touching you, like he had a right to do it while you were just hanging there in his arms... I've never been that angry in my life."

There was another long silence and Duo struggled not to let his painful breathing be too loud.

"I might be new to love, relationships and all this but I- I know myself and I want- I- I know when there's-... there's- when it's... shit." The chair creaked and he heard Wufei get to his feet.

Wufei's steps echoed painfully in his head as they came towards him. Duo knew that he probably looked totally pathetic where he was curled up like a frightened child with his head bowed. He knew that he should straighten up and look his -oh no, no, please, god no, NO, no, no- soon to be ex-boyfriend in the eye but he could do nothing but curl up tighter and hope that the dark would hide him as much as possible.

Wufei's voice spoke out from next to the bed. "I've been thinking about it for quite a while but I talked myself out of it because... we were good together and I didn't want to..." Wufei cut himself off in annoyance. "Damn, this is hard. I'm just trying to say that- I want to- that I think we should..." Wufei stopped and the silence that followed was like a physical touch. A cold harsh touch. "I convinced myself that we were fine." Wufei sighed.

"But then we came here and I got to see a whole different side of you that you had only let me see glimpses of before. I know now that you were holding back and hiding those sides of yourself, showing me someone who wasn't fully real... Maybe we don't know each other all that well. Maybe we could need more time but... no, I doubt that it will change my mind." Duo felt the bed dip next to him and he tried not to flinch.

"I might regret the way I said it because god knows I'm not handling this speech all that well. I'm not trying to make this more complicated then it is but, but I just want to explain why I'm doing this... It's selfish I know and I know that there is a risk... that things probably wont be the same as before and for that I'm sorry." Wufei's voice sounded heavy and slow like he was stalling to say the words that he was working himself up to saying.

Duo peeked up from behind his arms to look at the dark shape that was his love. The pale light from the moon played over Wufei's frowning face and Duo's fingers itched to stroke those lines away. But he was about to lose that right.

How was he going to go on after this? How was he going to keep living his life? Duo tried to imagine going back to class knowing that Wufei was sitting all alone up there in the back. Did Wufei still want to be his friend? Duo didn't know if he could do that. No, he couldn't go back. It would be torture to be close to Wufei but not be allowed to touch him. It had been hard enough to keep his hand off of him when they were just friends, but now when he knew what his skin felt like, what it felt like to be touched by him, to be loved by him, to love him so much that it hurt, there was no way that he could do it. Duo wanted to die.

"So what I wanted to do was to give you this." Duo looked over at his lover and just stared on the small velvet covered jewelry box that Wufei was holding out in the palm of his hand. Wufei's shaking hands clumsily opened the lid. "It's just a promise ring, so it doesn't have to be that serious."

Duo just gaped with his eyes wide as he stared at the golden ring held out to him.

Wufei flinched. "I knew this was a bad idea. Shit, I'm sorry." He closed the lid with a sharp click. "I wasn't going to give it to you, but last night I kept thinking that if you would just wake up I would do it. It was all I could think about in the ambulance. That I should just have given it to you, no matter how stupid it would have been. You were lying there with a acid mask over your face and I could barely hold your hand for all the wires and tubes. You wouldn't wake up and I- I was so scared, so fucking scared. I kept thinking, over and over again that I should have told you that I should just have given it to you. I'm sorry, but I promised myself that if you would just wake up I would-"

Duo cut him off by taking a hold of his lover's shoulders and trowing him down on the bed. His hands fumbled as they clawed at Wufei's boxers and a primal whine made it's way out of his throat. Ripping the boxers off his lover's legs he pressed his naked body against Wufei's. Taking a hold of the Asian's hip, he lifted it up in his lap with Wufei's legs spread wide. Wufei was still slick from their last round and Duo slid himself in with one fast motion.

"I'll take that as a yes." Wufei panted as he clung to his lover.

"Fuck yes." Duo hissed out as he spread Wufei's legs out wider. "You're mine."

Wufei smiled with his head thrown back. "Yes."

"And you'll never leave me."

Wufei's nails bit into his shoulder blades. "Never."

Duo almost sobbed at the words. It was too much. Emotions rose and fell inside of him to the point that the only thing he could do was to drive himself in fast and deep into his lover. He didn't know any other way, it was the only thing he could do to handle this emotional overload.

Wufei pushed his hip back to meet his trusts, making Duo gasp. "Ah, Wuu, yes, yes just like that." He groaned happily as he trusted in long deep motions with a tight grip at his lover's thighs. Wufei didn't respond in words, he just looked at him with so much love in his eyes that it made Duo dizzy. He needed more, needed to get closer. Wufei's breath were coming in short fast gasps as he held his legs wide to allow Duo's almost vicious thrusts.

Duo purred when his lover licked his way down his throat. "Mmmm, fuck baby yes. God, you feel so good" He gasped as Wufei bit hard in to his shoulder followed by a wet lick with the flat of his tongue. "Aaahh, you feel so fucking good." He moaned as he moved in and out in long hard strokes.

"You look so good, beautiful, mine, you're mine. Love you. God. I love you so much." Dark legs wrapped themselves tightly around his hip and he soon felt heels digging into the back of his thighs, urging him on. "More, yes, fuck mmMhh, yeah." The way Wufei was moving against him was maddening. "Fuck yes, fuck yes, fuck yes. that's so good, fuck yes." He chanted breathlessly.

Wufei was jerking himself off in times with his thrusts, panting with his head thrown back. Duo bent down to suck and lick his lover's neck, shuddering in desire as he felt Wufei's quiet, needy breaths so close to his ear. A sweaty hand made it's way down his back and in between his cheeks where it circled his opening before pushing in.

That was all it took. Duo shuddered as pleasure rolled over him and light flashed before his eyes. Life could not get better than this.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

And we are back to the fluff, tell me, what did you think of the little trip to angst-land?

A huge thanks to my wonderful beta for all her help.

No time to answer the reviews since I just realized that my beta was done with this chapter and I'm leaving very soon (it's time to dance my ass off! YES!)

But I have to say thank you to Christalake who was all upset for my sake because she thought I deserved more reviews -hugs her- I really don't know why people don't review this story. I have a few theories. It might be because 2x5 isn't all that popular... but there are still people reading it... it might be because it's kind of happy, I think people mostly reviews stories with angst... but no that's not right ether. I almost got Duo raped and that got me even less reviews, lol. -shrugs- I don't know, it might simply be because people don't like it enough to have anything to say, who know. Well anyway, thank you for you kind words and thanks to everyone that actually left reviews, I really appreciate it


	11. Word porn

Chapter 10 - Word porn

Duo collapsed down on top of Wufei and tried to get his breath back. Wufei's legs were slowly sliding down over his as and thighs from where they had been wrapped around his waist. They were sweaty and sticky but Duo couldn't remember ever feeling so good. It didn't last long as Duo's eyes suddenly snapped open when he heard muffled laughter coming from the other side of the wall.

His eyes went wide as his heart stopped."Shit." Duo hid his face in Wufei's shoulder. "Shitshitshitshit."

"I think your parents are awake now."Wufei spoke against his ear.

"God this is embarrassing." Duo whispered in horror. "I didn't know they were home. When did they get back?"

Wufei shrugged. "I think it was sometime after midnight."

"And you didn't say anything?" Duo hissed.

"I had other things on my mind." Wufei defended himself. "And it's not like they didn't already know that we were having sex."

"Knowing is not the same thing as being woken up by creaking bedsprings." Duo punched his lover's arm.

"Actually, I think it was your screaming that woke them up."

"I don't scream." He growled.

"Ah, Wu, yes, yes, just like that fuck, you feel so good. Mmmhmm." Wufei moaned with laughter in his voice.

"Shut up. I can't believe that you think this is funny." Duo squeezed his eyes shut.

"But it is."

"It's not. God, my mother heard us having sex."

Wufei nodded. "Yes she did and so did your father and quite possibly your little sister."

Duo lifted his head and stared down at his lover with horror. "Oh god, oh no. She was bad enough before, if she heard us- she- she's going to- I don't know what she's going to do but it's going to be bad." Duo whined while Wufei just laughed.

He poked Wufei in the shoulder. "You are so strange. I can't believe that you aren't embarrassed."

"I am, but not that much. And it's not like they are going to hunt me down for deflowering their son. Besides, they were laughing weren't they?"

Duo whimpered. "Don't remind me, they are never going to let me live this down." He said as he pulled the edge of the covers over his head.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

His family looked over at them with amused looks on their faces when they walked in to the kitchen the next morning. Duo felt his face flame with embarrassment.

"Good morning." Wufei said easily as he more or less dragged Duo along with him.

"Good morning boys." His mother responded. There was a moment of silence as the two of them sat down before she continued. "Did you have a nice night?"

That was all it took. His father choked on his coffee as he laughed almost hysterically, Q roared out a loud taunting laughter while his mother giggled like she was possessed.

Duo couldn't remember ever being this embarrassed, well except the stripper incident but that didn't count since that had its category of embarrassment. He buried his face in his crossed arms on the table, wishing that he could sink through the floor and hide for all eternity. A hand slowly stroked his back in comfort as they listened to his family's laugh.

It felt like forever before they finally calmed down. "Yes thank you. I slept very well." He heard Wufei's voice answer as though no time had passed since she had asked the question.

"Oh, I bet you did." Q's voice teased from across the table. "I heard that a good work out is the best way to get a good night's sleep."

Duo wanted to kill his little sister.

"Perhaps, but I've found that sex usually works better." Wufei said easily.

On the other hand, maybe killing his lover would be better.

Duo looked up and stared with his mouth open at his lover who was calmly spreading butter on a piece of toast. His mother was giggling again, his fathers shoulders were shaking while Quatra... Quatra looked challenged.

"So who got the best work out?" She asked with her eyes glittering.

Duo felt his panic grow as he watched his fiancé open his mouth to answer her. In a desperate attempt to stop him, Duo kicked in the direction of his shin only to miss completely and instead hit the table leg. The table rattled violently and Duo whimpered over his poor abused toes. Wufei shook his head with a smile as he pulled Duo's sock covered foot up in his lap.

"I think it's time to change the subject before Duo hurts himself seriously."

"We might as well." His mother said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She then turned to her son with a grim look on her face. "I know that you said you were fine over the phone but you would say that even if you were shot in the chest, so now, how are you really?"

Duo waved the question away as he put his foot back on the floor. "I'm good, it's nothing."

"He has eleven stitches on his head and the doctor sent along some painkillers that I'm going to make sure he takes. He was a bit loopy when he first woke up but it passed pretty quickly and he slept most of the day. The doctor said that there shouldn't be any problems, oh, and watching someones stomach get pumped is absolutely disgusting." Wufei said and bit in to his toast.

His father blinked. "Well, that was a bit more informative than 'I'm fine.'

Duo groaned as his mother made a distressed sound. "Oh baby cheeks, are you in pain now?"

"No, I'm fine."

The whole family turned to Wufei.

"I gave him one of the pills before we came down, he should be fine for a few hours."

His mother seamed satisfied with that and soon everyone went back to eating their breakfast.

Duo fidgeted for a long moment. "We're getting married!" He suddenly blurred when he just couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"You're engaged?" His mother gasped with wide eyes as she saw the ring on her son's finger.

Wufei took a sip from his juice. "Well, it's really just a promise ring-."

Duo cut in. "Shut up, we are getting married."

"-but it appears that we are skipping that part." Wufei said with a grin.

"Oh, sweethearts! " His mother got up and throw herself over the both of them. "I'm so happy for you, I'm going to have to call mother and Howard, Howard is never going to believe it. Oh, we should have an engagement party." She babbled as she hugged the both of them.

Duo almost thought the she was happier then he was over Wufei's proposal. He looked over at Wufei who smiled gently and took his hand. No, she couldn't possibly be happier than he was.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After breakfast Duo throw himself down on the bed with a loud sigh. The phone had been ringing non stop since the news had started to spread across the family. His mother had called her mother who had called everyone and their grandmother to tell them the happy news. He had repeated the same thing he didn't know how many times. 'Yes we are very happy, no we haven't set a date, no we are not planning to adopting any children' and so on and so on. Rolling over on his back he put his hands over his eyes.

'Well I'm glad that is over.' Duo mumbled.

"At least it took away the attention from our little show last night."

Duo groaned when he was reminded.

Wufei smiled. "Was it as embarrassing as you thought it would be?" Wufei asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes, no it was worse. Hopefully the news of this." He waved his right hand. "Will distract them to not bring up the subject for a long time."

"It wasn't that bad." His lover said gently.

"Yes it was! And you only made it worse, Mr sex-works-better. I can't believe that you said sex in front of my mother at the breakfast table."

"Duo, love. The woman has four children, I'm pretty sure that she has heard the word before."

"But it's my mom! God were you this much of a perv back before we got together or do I have myself to blame?"

Wufei grinned. "I was like this before, I just didn't say it out loud. But I have to admit that theory and real life isn't really the same thing. You answered a lot of the questions I had, so, yes I do believe that you got yourself to blame, at least for making it worse."

Duo shook his head. "I don't get you, I seriously don't."

Wufei sat down on the edge of the bed."Why is that?"

"How you can go be nervous over the strangest things while you can just breeze by other things."

Wufei shrugged.

"Like yesterday when you gave me the ring, you scared me half to death!"

Wufei blinked. "What? Why?"

"I thought you were going to dump me and- stop laughing!"

The Asian shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what's going on in that head of yours."

"Nothing good anyway." Duo mumbled unhappily before rolling over to pull the cover over his head, totally missing Wufei's fond smile.

The bed dipped next to him before he felt the cover being lifted and Wufei crawled in next to him. Arms and legs wrapped themselves around his body.

"I didn't mean to laugh at you."Wufei said gently as he stroke the side of his face.

Duo sighed and took his lover's hand."It's not that, I'm just so tired of myself." He whispered roughly.

Wufei made a comforting sound but Duo pushed on. "I'm always thinking the worst and- god, why do you put up with me?"

"Personally I would never put the phrase 'putting up with' in the same sentence as you."

Duo smiled a bit sadly. "But why, why don't you get angry with me? Why don't you ever get upset when I accuse you of the lowest things?" He asked as he looked over at his lover or at least what he could see of his lover under the dark cover.

Wufei chuckled quietly. "You want to know why? It's a bit embarrassing but... you know the first time when you got angry with me? In the clothes store?"

Duo groaned unhappily. "Yeah."

"That was one of the best moments of my life. For a second I had no idea why you were so angry, I just knew that you looked absolutely beautiful."

Duo smiled. "You are so strange."

"Maybe, but still. Then I realized that you thought that I would pick anyone over you and that you were scared of losing me." Soft fingers stroke over Duo's face. "I have never felt that loved and so wanted as I did right then. It's pretty much the same every time you lose your mind. Don't get me wrong, I hate it that it makes you feel bad, but at them same time I can't help but feel happy because you want me that much."

Duo squeezed his eyes shut to make his eyes stop watering. "Thank god that you are so damn strange."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later that afternoon Duo found himself once again searching for his lover.

Duo couldn't believe how often he seamed to lose his lover. It was like trying to keep up with a small child who had just learned to walk. He had just gone outside for a few minutes to chop up some wood to the fire place and when he had gotten back Wufei had been nowhere to be found.

"Have you seen Wufei?" He asked as he took another look in the living room

His father looked up from the drawing to the model catapult that he had gotten for Christmas. "I think he's up in Quatra's room."

Duo frowned. "What is he doing there?" His boyfriend and his little sister hadn't spent a lot of time together before and that they suddenly were hanging out together was giving him a bad feeling.

"You are going to have to ask him. Quatra dragged him away a while a go."

The was a moment of silence where Duo had time to imagine all kinds of horrifying sceneries before he bolted towards the stairs. 'I have to get him out of there fast, god knows what she has managed to get out of him.' Quatra's habit of asking questions that really should not be answered and Wufei's total lack of sense made a dangerous combination.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

They were sitting in front of Q's computer when he throw the door open.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Q yelled at the same time as his boyfriend happily replied "There's Mythbusters porn."

"What? You're watching porn!" Duo turned accusing eyes at her sister.

"It's not porn! It's fanfiction." Quatre defended herself.

"Sure looks like porn to me." Wufei muttered as he scrolled the page downwards.

"It's not."

"They are having sex." He pointed out.

"Yes, but it's not porn it's...it's... word porn."

"Right." Wufei said like he didn't believe her as he clicked on another link and scrolled down.

"They are not having sex in all of them... only the good ones." She said and brushed some hair out off her eyes like she had totally forgotten her big brother who was staring at the two of them in horror.

Wufei snickered with his eyes stuck on the screen. "I can't believe that someone used 'fuck gun' as a synonym for cock."

Quatra looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, well that's what happens when you read fiction written by gay men. Their stories suck."

Wufei gave the girl a strange look. "It's stories about gay men, who else should write them?"

"Horny women." She replied with an angelic smile.

Duo seriously did not like where this was going. "Right and that would be our signal to leave." He said as he hurried over to his amused looking boyfriend to take his hand in a iron grip.

"It's true, the guys always focus way too much on penis size and how big and strong the characters are, not to mention that the sex talk is awful wh-" The rest was cut off as Duo slammed her bedroom door closed behind them. Wufei's eyes were sparkling as he smiled up at him "Are you alright? Maybe you need to sit down."

Duo glared half heartedly. "Shut up, my little sister just said penis, I'm traumatized."

"It's not that bad."

"It is, she's far too young."

"Isn't her birthday the day before new years eve?"

"Yeah."

"Which makes her 18, an adult."

Duo shook his head violently. "No, she's just a baby."

"You do realize that I'm only three years older then her right?"

"Please don't say things like that." He begged.

"It's true."

"No, Q is just a kid."

"I really don't th-"

"Nah, nah, nah, nah. I can't hear you."

"You little sister is more or less an adult woman with adult needs and a porn collection that is bigger than yours."

"No." Duo whimpered.

"Yes."

"No."

"It's not like she's a virg-"

Duo slapped a hand over his lover's mouth. "You were not going to say what I just thought you were going to say because my little sister is- my little sister. Now we are going to go downstairs and help my dad with that model catapult before he glues himself to the table again. This never happened. Is that clear?"

"Yes Adonis, Your sister is seven years old and she is going to be seven until the day she dies." Wufei said dutifully with laughter in his eyes.

"Good."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later that night Duo looked over at his boyfriend from where he was lying on the bed. Wufei who had Q's laptop standing on the desk in front of him were laughing quietly to himself. Curiosity won out and Duo rolled over on his side with a hand supporting his head. "What's so funny?"

"Jamie is looking for his forktruck."

Duo blinked and stared at his lover."What's so funny about that?"

"Mmm, I think you have to follow the show a bit more to understand it." Wufei replied absently as he read on. Duo was about to close his eyes to rest for a moment when Wufei started to laugh again.

"What?"

"Jamie hunted down Grant to find out what Adam had done to his forktruck."

Not really interested but far too bored not to ask, Duo asked the obvious question. "So what had he done?"

"Hmm, I haven't gotten that far get." Wufei mumbled.

Duo sighed and absently picked up a rubber ball from under the bed. He threw it at the wall, making it bounce back into his hand. He threw it again, trying to hit 'the Joker' in the head from where he was grinning down at him on the large worn poster on the wall.

Wufei snickered.

Duo looked over at his lover. "What?"

"Adam drove the forktruck into a ravine." He laughed out.

Duo sighed again and contemplated throwing the ball at Wufei's head. He could probably hit him directly in the forehead if he tried.

Wufei laughed again and Duo threw the ball... that flew straight past his lover's head to hit his plastic gundam in the crouch before rolling uselessly in under the bookcase without Wufei even noticing.

Duo sighed long and hard. "What now?"

Wufei hmm'd. "Jamie got stuck in the mud while trying to get his forktruck up... I think you have to read it to understand it." Wufei mumbled as he leaned his head on his hand with his eyes stuck on the screen.

Tired of being ignored, Duo got to his feet and walked over to his lover. Pushing the computer chair back he ignored Wufei's protests and sank to his knees in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Wufei asked as he looked down at him.

"If you have to ask that then you have really spent too much time in front of the computer."

"Oh." Was all Wufei said as he watched Duo open his fly. The braided man waisted no time, he just reached inside to claim his price. Wufei sighed happily and widened his legs as Duo set to work. At least this way his mouth wasn't going to alert his family exactly what they were doing, especially since his door didn't have a lock. With his mouth full he could only hum, something that made his lover slide down closer to the edge of the seat as his unfocused eyes stared at the ceiling. "Yes, there yes." His dark eyed lover whispered in a pleased voice. "Mmmhmm, tha- WOOOH!" Wufei shouted as a sharp snap was heard and Duo blinked in surprise and looked up just in time to see his boyfriend fall backwards with his feet in the air. Wufei's back hit the floor with a loud crash, closely followed by the slam when what was left of the chair tipped over.

"Ow." Wufei complained before breaking out in a helpless laughter.

Duo snorted at the ridiculous sight that this lover made where he was lying on his back like a overturned turtle with his pants down to his knees surrounded by broken pieces of the old chair while laughing like a loon.

"Are you alright boys?" His mother called out followed by the unmistakable sound of the first step of the staircase.

"We're fine!" Duo called back with panic in his voice, something that made Wufei laugh even harder.

"Shut up!" He hissed with his face burning

He could hear his mothers soft footsteps coming up the stairs and he dived towards his completely unhelpful lover and tried to get his pants up. He had just managed to close the last button when the door handle was pushed down.

His mother stepped in and blinked in surprise when she looked down at the rumbled, just about giggling Wufei who was lying in a hep on the floor with a with a violently blushing Duo sitting next to him.

"Ehm. The chair broke." He said, unnecessarily, making Wufei break out in an almost hysterical laughter. Duo glared but his lover who paid him no mind as he instead rolled over on his side with his arms wrapped around his middle as he squeaked 'ow-ow-ow' over his cramping stomach between his seemingly unstoppable laughter.

His mother was smiling fondly at the both of them.

"Well then, dinner will be ready in an hour or so. I'll just leave you two alone until then." She said and Duo could have sworn that he saw a knowledgeable smile on her lips.

Blushing like mad he watched her leave. "I think this might just be the most embarrassing day of my life. " He said as Wufei finally calmed down.

Wufei grinned. "You're exaggerating. Besides, didn't you say that your last day as a stripper was the most embarrassing day if your life?"

"That day doesn't count because nothing can get worse then that." Duo said as he collapsed on the bed.

"Poor thing." Wufei snickered.

"I would probably believe you if you weren't half a second from laughing.'

Wufei just grinned and laid down next to him. They snuggled in close as they both in a silent agreement decided to rest for a while. Wufei was stroking his hair in long petting motions that made him melt in to the mattress. There was nothing better then this and if everything worked out the way he wanted it, he would get to have this to the day he died.

Duo stroke his ring. "How could you afford this anyway? You have even less money then I have."

Wufei suddenly got very tired. "It wasn't that expensive." He jawed and buried his face in the pillow.

This made Duo very suspicious. "Wufei, what did you do?"

There was a tensed silence before Wufei turned his head slightly away from him. "You make it sound like I stole it." He said in a clear attempt to change the question.

Duo shoved him over on his back. "What did you do?" He asked slowly as he stared down at his lover.

Wufei looked embarrassed. "Ehm, nothing that bad, I just... didn't need a computer that badly."

Duo had to swallow several times before he could get the words out of his suddenly hight throat. "Your computer is a piece of shit."

"It works." Wufei protested.

"It shuts itself off all the time."

"You just have to remember to save a lot."

"It takes like five minutes for it to save."

"You just have to start on time."

"Half the time it refuses to printout the pages and when it does they look awful."

"You just have to try again, all the copies aren't that bad."

"The start button is broken."

"It's not, you just have to use the toothpick to hold it steady."

"Your screen is almost bigger then your entire TV."

"Well, my TV isn't all that big so that doesn't say all that much."

"Your internet is slow as hell and you wont be able to read your Mythbusters porn when you get back home."

"... I'll survive." Wufei said and reached up to kiss him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

A yes, a bit more fluff.

I found the pad! I just didn't find the entire chapter because I must have written it somewhere else. Oh,well. That part will end up in another chapter then.

Now, I haven't really decided whats going to happen in the next couple of chapters before the end. They still have a few more days before they go back home so I was wondering what you would like to see more of. Is there anything that I've missed or didn't write enough about? What would you like? Wufei and the kids? Duo's friends? Quatra? Any suggestions are very welcome. There should be about three or four chapters left before the end. After that there will be the side story.

EbonyOsmosis who made this awesome picture of Wufei threatening Duo's ex with a swizzle stick (You have to see it, the link can be found on my profile page. I laughed my ass off over the expressions on their faces) have requested 'Duo's day from hell' as a side story (that I have already started to write on because I just couldn't help myself) that will be posted at the end.

If anyone else would like to draw me something you are most welcome. Because as I said before, I'm a whore for art of any kind. Stick figures can be the coolest ever and if you don't want me to show the pictures to anyone I wont :)

Oh, and if anyone recognizes the fiction that Wufei is reading then please tell me. It's a real fanfiction that I think I read on fanfictionNet but now I can't find it.

Thank you for reading and if you would like to make my day, then please send me a quick review :)

And now to all the lovely people that reviewed the last chapter

Beathany Shiver - I'm glad you liked it. There might be more of Duo's friends soon. I have this idea where Tris takes Wufei shopping... hmmm.

Silverbulletsdeath- Oooh, did I scare you :) No, there will be no break ups in this fiction. I'm afraid that we are closing in on the end... at least that's the plan but I'm pretty bad at following plans so, who knows what can happen.

Terles- Glad to hear it :) ...but it's pretty funny that you would say that you liked how I wrote Wufei as the uke because in the part that I couldn't find in my pad, Wufei is pretty from being the uke. Damn, now I really have to find that part.

Nav- Now this I can understand. Believe me I do. There was a time when it would take me about fifteen minutes and a dictionary to more or less say 'great story, keep it up.' This is why your review warmed me the most because I know how fucking frustrating and hard it is to try to express yourself in a language that you don't fully master.

Turtle Kid - I'm happy you liked it

Shogi - -grin- Your reviews always makes me smile. Please tell me you speak the way you write because that would be awesome :) It feels like I can hear your voice when I read it. Anyway thank you for trying to review every single chapter, that is quite the accomplishment.

Reikoyazumi - Glad you liked it. Oh, you poor thing, I hate it when you can't use the computer, it's really frustrating. Get the chapter done when you can, don't worry. Oh and I had very fun dancing (and if you want to see me in my raver outfit go to... no wait that page is password protected. I'll get back to you on that)

AmberEyes87 - No need to feel worried, I'm not going to let anything (too) bad happen to the boys, and such nice words you say that is making me all fluffy and happy, thank you.

Princess Cythera - Awww, thank you! Yeah, I'm not one to wallow in the angst for too long. I find it pointless and mean.

Anf600 - Thank you! And especially thank you for a honest answer because there are not many reader that can review every single chapter, I know that I don't always manage to to it '

Cyne - Wow, my very own rabid fanboy... what do you feed a rabid fanboy? Do they need walking? Hmmm and about those 15 children... no 15 shouldn't be too many lol. Damn your reviews totally made my day :) and you copy pasted the entire story? O.O my god, I just want to give you cookies and pet you on the head for being the cutest ever

SakuyasLittleBird- Hi! I'm so glad to hear from you, haven't seen you in a while, I missed you. I promise to be nice to Duo from now on... or I promise to try :)

EbonyOsmosis - Damn I just had this mental image of you storming in to the room to grab a hold of Wufei's neck to shake him back and fort while screaming 'spit it out you bastard' lol. And thanks again for the lovely picture, I have it on my desk top right now and it makes me grin every single time I see it :)

Rosedream - When I got you review I kind of beat myself over the head because I have honestly never thought about making sure that you could review without logging in. It should have been possible all along but shrugs that's the way it is. I've changed it now so people are free to feel lazy now lol.

Pinball62 - Oh my, a converter, that is so cool. Welcome to the 2x5x2 swamp, I hope you will enjoy you stay . and since you asked for it I'm going to make sure to put in more Trowa.

Blacksteel1 - Thank you! I'm happy to say that there will most likely only be fluff from now on, don't worry


	12. The anti killing butcher

Apologizes and explanations for the delay in the end of the chapter.

The anti killing butcher.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The dark shadow followed him at a distance, but Duo knew that it was there. He could feel it. He tried to tell Wufei to run but the other man was so stubborn that he refused to move until he was done with his knitting. The long scarf was lying like a big snake at his feet, trapping him to the ground. The more Wufei knitted, the more he got trapped. Duo told him to stop but Wufei wouldn't listen. The beast was getting closer and he tried to get to Wufei. The long scarf tripped him and the snow pulled him down. He fought his way closer, he pushed and kicked until he was almost there. His fingertips brushed against Wufei's soft sweater but then the beast was there, it opened its mouth, showing off all its sharp teeth He tried to scream, to warn his lover, but Wufei was too busy scrolling the page down on Quatra's computer. He screamed as the beast closed its jaws around Wufei.

Duo woke up terrified and panting. His hands reached out to the shape next to him before his sleep fogged mind really caught up. Wufei was sleeping calmly, despite the fact that Duo had stolen all the covers and that he was pushed up against the headboard with his neck at a strange angle. Trying to calm down, Duo told himself that there was no monster and that Wufei was just fine.

But logic had nothing on a really bad dream and a dark room . At least he could do something about one of those things. He reached over Wufei's legs and lit the Batman lamp standing on his nightstand. It cast a soft comforting glow over the room. But it wasn't enough because the fear still lingered. It still felt like something was going to make its way out of the shadows and take Wufei away from him.

He bundled the pillows up against the wall before shuffling backwards until he could lean back against them. He then wrapped his arms around his lover and awkwardly pulled him up into his lap. He managed to lift Wufei up enough so that the slumping head was resting on his shoulder. His arms were wrapped tightly around his fiancé's body, holding him close . Wufei grumbled softly in his sleep but did not wake up. Duo leaned back against the pillows with Wufei bundled up like a heavy overgrown teddy bear in his lap. There. Nothing was going to happened to him now.

His lover's slow, hot breath against his throat calmed him down and he started to relax. He loosened his grip just long enough to pull the covers up over them as much as he could in their sitting position. He closed his eyes with the knowledge that Wufei was safe and that he wouldn't make fun of him in the morning. Wufei would understand.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Duo."

Duo turned his face away from the voice."Mfh."

"I need to go to the bathroom."

Duo blinked sluggishly, only to frown when his eyes landed on... a thigh?

"Duo, let go."

Duo looked towards his feet his feet where a sleepy Wufei was frowning down at him with ruffled hair.

"Would you please stop moving your head around? You are making it worse."

Duo ignored him and turned his head again, only to realize that he was using Wufei's crotch as a pillow. His arms were wrapped around his lovers slim waist and one of Wufei's arms were  
trapped under his legs.

"Sorry." He mumbled with a wide yawn.

Wufei hissed at the motion. "Just let go, I really need to go and all your moving around is making me hard."

Duo briefly thought about being a bit evil- but he knew very well how hard it was to take a piss when your cock was up. So instead he let go and rolled off his lover.

Wufei muttered a 'thanks' before getting out of the bed.

Duo followed him with tired eyes. He really hoped that he wouldn't run into anyone in the hallway. Not with his underwear half way down his hip and his cock half hard. He looked like something out of one of Duo's wet dreams, but he didn't necessarily want to share that dream with his family.

He woke up again when Wufei came back to bed. "What time is it?" He mumbled.

"Just after five, go back to sleep." Wufei said softly as he crawled down next to him at the foot of the bed.

Duo buried his nose in lose black hair and took a deep breath. Seconds later he felt Wufei relax as he feel back asleep. Duo smiled and kissed what ever part of Wufei he could reach before closing his eyes to follow him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The next time he woke up he was lying on top of Wufei who had his face shoved into his shoulder. It looked uncomfortable as hell but Wufei just slept on without a trouble in the world.

Duo wormed his arms around his lover's body and flipped them over, making Wufei's slack arms fall on either sides of him. Duo ran his fingers through Wufei's soft hair, enjoying the weight of his lover on top of him. The sun was shining in through the window, creating sun patches on the floor and Duo really did not want to move.

There was a soft knocking from the door.

Duo cleared his throat. "Yeah?"

"May I came in?" His mother asked.

Duo looked down and checked that they were both dressed respectfully and that non of them were showing off things that one's mother should not see.

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened and his robe dressed mother stepped in.

She gave the sleeping Wufei a fond smile before turning to her son.

"Tress called. He's stopping by in about an hour and he wondered if you would be up by then."

Duo yawned, making his chin rub against the top of Wufei's head. "Did he say why?"

"No, just that he wanted to speak to you."

Duo nodded. "Okay we're getting up."

When the door closed behind her he turned his attention to man asleep on top of him.

"Sex or feet, sex or feet. Decisions decisions." He mumbled to himself as he squirmed under other man.

There was no way that he was having sex in this room ever again. But a bit of bad touching would probably be just fine.

He pushed his hands in under Wufe's t-shirt and ran them slowly over all that warm skin. From there he pushed his hands all the way down and in under the edge of Wufei's boxers, taking two hands fulls of that marvelous ass. Duo leered as he squeezed the firm flesh. Oooh yeah, it was good to be him.

Wufei moaned, thrusting his hips down against Duo´s.

Whoow, that felt good. So good that Duo widened his legs just in time for Wufei's next hump.

Oh, man. That one rubbed against him just right.

Shit, he was getting into this. That was not a part of the plan.

But it was too late now because Wufei was getting into a good rhythm. Duo widened his legs just a little bit more. God that felt good.

"Duo?" Wufei mumbled thickly against his throat.

"Yeah, keep doing that. God sweetheart, don't stop."

"Mmmhmm."

"Just like that, don't stop. Shit, do you even know what you do to me?"

Wufei didn't answer, instead a wet tongue flicked over Duo's throat.

Using the grip he had on Wufei's ass, he pressed the other man against him. The -want- to get off consumed him, making him forget all about his vow to never have sex in his childhood room again. Wufei's hip were rubbing against his own just right as his hot tongue were licking the underside of Duo's jaw.

"God, just like that, yes." Duo whispered as he rubbed himself against his lover.

Wufei calmly continued his licking, making Duo whimpered.

He tried to listed, to hear if there were anyone upstairs. They would probably not hear him from downstairs, at least he hoped that they wouldn't. Duo panted loudly as he humped Wufei's hip. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.

His pulse were beating in his ear as he spread his legs wide, rubbing against the slim body on top of him. It was all too much until he fell over the edge, biting his tongue to stay quiet.

Panting heavily, Duo kissed Wufei's temple. "Damn that was good." He smiled and looked down on his lover... who was asleep, and most likely had been asleep all along.

"God fucking damn it." Duo grumbled as he pushed the dead weight off his chest and got up to take a much needed shower.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

One shower and one pair of clean underwear later, Duo returns to his sleeping lover. Wufei were still lying in the position that he landed in when Duo pushed him off, twisted, half on his side because the bungled up cover wouldn't let him lie on his back. Since sex didn't work, Duo pressed his fingers in between Wufei's toes, making Wufei screech. He was reworded with a kick in the stomach from Wufei's other foot.

"I fucking hate it when you do that." Wufei grumbled as pulled his feet up underneath the cover.

Duo chuckled as he rubbed his lower abdomen. "Sorry sweetheart, but it's time to get up."

Wufei muttered something that probably wasn't all too nice as he pulled the pillow over his head.

Duo ignored him and started to get dressed instead. He eyed the frost on the window. It clearly was cold today and he pulled on an extra sweater. He hated being cold, it was one of the reasons why he had moved away from here.

Duo took a look at the pile of used clothes lying in front of his bookshelf. They really should do some laundry, especially since if they wait any longer his mother would probably sneak in and do it for them. Nothing made you feel like you were fourteen again as much as to be handed a pile of your own newly washed clothes by your mother. And more importantly, he did not want his mother to wash his underwear, not after a morning like this.

Fully dressed he walked over to the bed and sat down next to the lump lying there. The only part visible of Wufei was the fan of hair sticking out from under the pillow.

"Are you alive in there?"

Wufei grunted and the cover rustled slightly as the man rolled up closer to the wall.

Duo pouted. "If I bring you breakfast in bed, will you be happy again?"

There was a muffled sigh. "I's ok, m get'n up." Wufei mumbled.

Duo bent forward and lifted the edge of the pillow slightly so that he could kiss Wufei's warm cheek.

"Okay, I'm going down stairs. Do you want an egg?"

"Boiled."

Duo rolled his eyes. "Yes, boiled. The world would clearly end if wasn't." He got to his feet and made his way downstairs.

The front door opened just as he came down the stairs and his younger brother raised his hand in greeting.

"Hey, Tress. Here already I see. What's up?" Duo asked he came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.

The other man kicked the snow off his boots against the outside wall before stepping in and closing the door behind him. "Well, I thought we should take a trip to the forest. Bring out guns and see if we could catch some hares or something like that."

Duo brightened up. "That would be great."

"Yeah, I talked to Solo earlier and he suggested that we should go around eleven."

Duo looked down at his watch. "Half an hour, it's a bit tight but we should be able to make it."

Tress shrugged. "It might get later since I have to get home first, should I pick you two up when I'm done?"

"Yeah, that sounds great. We should probably pick up Solo too so he wont have to drive that piece of shit car he has."

Tress nodded. "That would be good. Could you give this to mom?" he asked, holding out an overfilled plastic bag.

Duo took it and peered down in to the mess of plastic jars. "What is it?"

"A bunch of stuff for the New Year's Eve dinner. By the way, are you guys joining us?"

Duo scratched his chest as he leaned against the stair railing. "Naw, Matt wanted us over for some big party that he was going to throw in his new house."

Tress thought for a second. "Was that the big black guy?"

Duo rolled his eyes. "Shit man, he's only been my best friend since I was ten. Yeah, that's him."

"Oh... I thought he was your ex."

"Well, that too." He said with a shrug.

"Do you have any gay friends that you have not slept with?" His brother groaned.

"Yeah... a few."

Trees shook his head. "I swear to god Duo, if you hadn't meet Wufei I would be seriously worried about you."

Duo played with the end of his braid. "I know, but I got lucky."

"And we all know it. Well, enough about that, I'll give you a call when I'm on my way." Trees said as he pulled his gloves back on.

Duo nodded. "Good plan, we'll see you then."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

There was just one problem with that plan.

"No." Wufei said and crossed his arms.

Duo who normally would recognize a unmovable object continued his pleading. "Oh, come on. You don't have to actually shoot anything. Most likely we are not even going to find anything."

"Is it even legal to hunt this time of year?"

"Not really but it's not like anyone cares out here. Come on, please." Duo begged with his eyes as big as he could get them.

"No."

Duo sighed."Okay, I'll tell them that we're not going."

"Just because I'm not going doesn't mean that you can't." Wufei huffed.

"I'd rather be with you." He said pouting, knowing that if he had said this to any of his old boyfriends they would see it like he was trying to guilt trip them into doing what he wanted, but Wufei only shook his head.

"If you want to go then go. When was the last time you went hunting with your brothers?"

Duo thought for a second. "Ehm... I don't remember."

" Which means several years. Now get your clothes on. Go on."

"But-"

"You are going. End of discussion. Go get your things ready."

"But-"

Wufei's eyebrows sank and Duo knew that he was defeated. "Now Duo."

Duo did as he was told.

-:-:-:-:-:-

He was searching trough the hallway closet, looking for his hunting cap when his cellphone rang. He immediately knew who it was since there were only one person who he would put "Dude looks like a lady" on as a ring tune. "Hey Tris."

"Duo, hi. I was wondering if you and Wofei would like to join me for lunch in town."

"It's WU-fei and no sorry, no can do. I'm heading off with my brothers into the woods. But I can give you a call when I get back."

There was a moment of silence. "What about Wofei?"

"WU-fei will still be here." Duo said as he stopped a pile of old gloves and wool socks from falling down over him.

"He's not coming?"

"No, for a butcher he's pretty anti killing."

"So you're leaving your fiancé all alone the day after you got engaged? Duo, you're horrible! I can't believe you!"

Duo wondered why the hell people kept thinking he was the one in charge of this relationship. "Tell that to Wufei, he's the one who told me to go!" Duo tried to defend himself.

"You are an idiot Maxwell. I feel so sorry for that self sacrificing little darling. That's it. I'm going to take him shopping to make him feel better." Tris announced brightly.

"Seriously? You want to take Wufei shopping?" Duo snorted."Wufei hates shopping. He's like the stereotype boyfriend who carries the bags and says 'that's nice' to just about every piece of clothing that you show him."

Duo could almost hear Tris face splitting from the wide grin that most likely was spread across her face. "Sounds marvelous. I'll just borrow that perfect little sweetheart for a couple of hours. What time do you think you'll be back?"

Duo pulled out a box marked 'Solo-Duo gloves and hats' that mostly contained socks from when they had been about five. "Probably around three."

"Great, then you can meet us for a late lunch at Venga around three thirty. Good boy, now go put your better half on the line."

Duo didn't know if he should he annoyed over being ordered around or thrilled over being reminded that he had a better half. He settled for the second. "I'll get him."

"Wufei!" He called out, but there was no answer. He tried again, only louder this time.

Wufei walked through the doorway with a frown on his face. "Don't yell." He said at the same time as his mother shouted "In the kitchen!" from upstairs.

Duo laughed. "Welcome to the Maxwell family where yelling is a part of the daily interaction. Here, Tris wants to talk to you." He said and handed the phone over to Wufei who took it with a smile.

"Hey Tris."

Duo didn't stay around to listen, because in the bottom of that box of socks he found his orange cap. He left his lover who happily chatting away to search for his hunter jacket. It should be somewhere in one of the wardrobes in the basement. Probably.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo took a deep breath of the cold clean air and breathed out in a large cloud of steam. The forest was calm and empty around him, making him wonder why he so rarely took the time to go out here now days. The obvious reason was that there were no forest back home, but while he was here, there were always someone to visit, something to do and rarely any time for him just to relax and be by himself. It was nice.

He and his brothers had split up at the edge of the woods, trying to cover a larger area. The goal was to bring something back for dinner, but mostly it was just about the hunt itself.

Duo loved this part of the forest, it was old, very old and there was not one chopped down tree for miles. He knew this forest like the back of his hand, he knew exactly where he was and where everything was located. If he walked to the left he would end up over by the lake, straight forward was a bog and if he went to the right he would eventually end up on the Pitbull's land and beyond that was his parents' house.

The snow was deeper at some places, making him sink down till his knees. A couple of difficult steps later he reached a large rounded stone that he jumped on. There he bent down and flicked some snow away from the inside of his boots, not wanting it to melt there. There was nothing worse the having damp socks. Climbing down again, he continued his hike.

The sound of something digging itself trough the snow made him stop and listen. It came from somewhere over by the thorny bushes further away. Carefully lifting his shotgun he patiently waited.

The digging became louder and then a fluffy white body jumped out of its hole. The hare flicked it's ear from side to side as it scented the air. Duo knew that he was downwind, so he wasn't worried. He lifted the gun and aimed carefully, but he hesitated with his finger on the trigger. It was all white and fluffy, something that for some reason reminded him of Wufei's slippers back home. Then the hare turned big dark eyes towards him, eyes that looked just like Wufei's.

Fuck.

With a sigh he lowered his gun, put the safety back on and leaned his weight on his hip as he watched the hare watch him. For the longest time, man and animal simply looked at each other, before the hare calmly galloped away.

Duo shook his head. He was so never telling his brothers about this, he would never live it down. But Wufei would probably be very happy with him. Duo smiled and hung his shotgun back over his shoulder. He proceeded to walk through the forest.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Du was the first to arrive at the restaurant so he sat down at an empty table to wait. Half an hour later, when Duo was about to call Wufei and ask where the hell they were, the missing two finally came through the door.

Wufei looked like had been trough a war when he stumbled into the restaurant with his arms heavy with bags in different shapes and color. He was closely followed by a happily smiling Tris who was carrying a small silk handbag. Tris gave him a brilliant smile when she came over and hung her coat over the back of her chair. "Order a salad for me would you? I'm going to powder my nose." With that she turned and left, her hips swinging as she pushed the men´s room door open.

Duo decided not to question what had taken them so long, he just pulled out the chair next to him. "Are you okay?" He asked with a smile as Wufei sank down on the chair.

Wufei just sighed and put the bags down in under the table."I am never going to complain about your shopping trips ever again."

Duo smiled and patted his hand. "You don't complain, you get ahaunted look in your eyes every time you see a fire exit."

"Well I tell you, never again. That woman is insane. We must have been to every single store in town. Thank god I'm gay, I could never handle having a girlfriend." Wufei grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Technically, Tris isn't a woman."

Wufei snorted. "She is in every way that counts."

Duo shrugged. "I guess. So, did you find anything?"

Wufei gave him a long empty look. "I honestly don't know."

Duo just laughed and handed him a menu.

Wufei sighed and stretched his legs out under the table, careful not to disturbed the bags. "How did the hunting trip go?"

Duo grinned behind the edge of his menu. "You should be happy to know that you have totally destroyed every single hunting trip for the rest of my life."

Wufei sure didn't look happy to hear it so he hurried on. "Because every time I saw something, it would remind me of you and it totally fucked up my priorities. There was a hare looked just like your slippers... or how your slippers would look if you washed them. A few birds that was the same color as your hair and so on and so on. It was a disaster."

Wufei smiled brightly before kissing Duo a bit too intimately for a family restaurant.

"Not that I mind the show, but I do belied that we are never going to get a waiter over here if you keep it up." Tris said sweetly as she pulled her chair out in front of Duo.

Duo pulled back, only to dive back for just a quick kiss, then another one, then another one until breathing became a problem. Duo whimpered when Wufei leaned back in his chair, taking those lovely lips with him.

"So let me see the ring." Tris demanded.

Duo proudly held his hand out.

"No stones?" She asked as she ran her finger over the smooth golden surface.

"Can you seriously see me as the type of guy who would wear that?" Duo laughed, taking a hold of Wufei's hand under the table.

"I guess not. Is it engraved?"

"Yeah, but you can't see it because I am never going to take it off."

Wufei snorted mockingly, something that stood in sharp contrast to the way his fingers were softly petting Duo's. "You are going to have to take it off sometime."

"Yeah, if I accidentally cut my finger off and I have to put it on another one."

"So if the ring doesn't fit anymore-"

"It will." Duo protested.

"You can't know that."

"Yes, I do."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "And how exactly can you know that?"

"I just can."

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Yes it does." Duo protested.

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does."

Tris laughed. "You two are so cute. So, have you set a date?"

They both shook their heads.

"I think we should have a summer wedding, maybe have it out on a field, or maybe we could have it in Duo's parents backyard, over by that big tree. We could have the party itself in tents in case it starts to rain."

'We?' Wufei mouthed in question to Duo who bit back his laughter as they listened to Tris plan their special day.

-:-:-:-:-:-.-:-

Please, take a second to review. It would make me very happy.

A/N I finally managed to write a real sex scene for this story but to read it you have to got to my profil page and follow the link to my gundam wing univers page where the uncut version is ( I cut out about 5-6 pages).

I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to update (last one was in 9-5-08!) I feel like I should explain myself. I just found myself with no inspiration at all for Wallflower. I wouldn't call it writers block but it was close. Since the only trick I know that works is to write something else in the mean time, that's what I did. I wrote a PWP, two one shots, a kick in the crouch chapter. I wrote on Frozen, on Normal people, on Challenge the dragon, EVERYTHING but Wallflower. Still there were no inspiration. It was awful.

Wallflower is the worst story to get stuck on because I have nothing to fall back on. All my other stories are planed and I know what's going to happen, but Wallflower lives on the moments my brain goes "Hey, wouldn't it be fun if Tris took Wufei shopping?" So there I was, with no inspiration and no ideas.

But then the snow came.

Well, we did get some snow in the end of October but that didn't last all that long. But this, this was the real deal. A soft cover of snow, lying over every inch of the ground, on the trees, falling in fluffy flakes like one of those postcards that look so fake that you just can't believe that it could be real.

I got my inspiration back.

Is this excuse acceptable?

So to finish of this too long author note I just want to thank everyone that read and reviewed this story.

Silverbulletsdeath - I'm very happy that I could make you laugh :)

EbonyOsmosis -grin- thank you

tearles – Sex, just what you wanted, right? I think you might like it.

Turtle Kid -we did get a bit of reaction from the friends... a little bit

Shogi - god, I love it when you review. It totally makes my day XD

princess cythera -aaah, got to love the fluff. Therev is nothing better :)

Pinball62 - oh, I'm with you. I can't think about anything more embarrassing happening... except if they walked in XD


	13. John the asshole

Sorry if this chapter is a bit short, shit happens, but the next will be longer and hopefully posted before the arrival of the new year.

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Oh, and it looks like Wallflower is winning the poll so it's going to be finished first. It's going to be another three or four chapters before the end (After the end I'll write the side story "Duo's day from hell." If you want your very own sidestory then draw me a stick figure and I'll write you one XD).

Chapter 13 - John the asshole.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Since they weren't going to see each other on new year's eve, Solo decided that Duo and Wufei were going to come over for a poker night. This in itself was nice and Duo wouldn't have minded it at all if it wasn't for one aspect. His cousin John was going to be there.

Duo had successfully managed to avoid the other man during the entire family reunion, not that it was all that hard since the other man had done pretty much the same thing.

Duo really did not like his cousin John. It wasn't just the whole -making him eat bugs- thing, even if it still pissed him off whenever he thought about it. John had been a cruel child who often found amusement in other peoples' pain, or more exactly Duo's pain. He could have overlooked it all as childish bullying if it wasn't for the fact that John wasn't much better as an adult either. Not only was he one of the few people in his family who didn't approve of his sexuality, something that he made very clear to Duo, he was also the one who always brought up Duo's lack of professional and personal progress. He -always- managed to steer the subject in to criticizing Duo. His lack of education, his lack of employment, his lack of partner, his living conditions, everything. More often than not it would reach its peak when Duo either left the room because he couldn't handle listening to it anymore or when he got angry enough to defend himself.

The latter had mostly been used when he was younger. He would get angry and pick a fight with the four year elder boy and would either get his ass kicked, or if his family were present, get sent to the car to calm down.

If there was one thing he hated about his family then it was their total blindness to the cruelty that John put him through. John just had the ability to twist his words to make it sound like he was being polite when he was really more or less spitting at Duo in the face or like he was making a joke when he was deadly serious. John, the perfect son, the perfect father, the successful lawyer, the handy man, the fucking fantastic golfer, the all around nice guy had the entire family wrapped around his finger and Duo knew it.

And now he was going to meet John and his family over at Solo's house for a Poker night. He'd rather have his stomach pumped again.

It was just too bad that Solo and John who were the same age had not only gone to school together, but also were best friends. They had used to love hassling Duo while they were kids. But while Solo's teasing had been just that – teasing, John had a more malicious streak where he just wanted to -hurt- him. Duo didn't know why his cousin had chosen him to be his life long victim but he just knew that he was not going to stop anytime soon.

Duo had refrained from telling Wufei just how much and why he disliked John since he knew that Wufei was going to try to defend him. But Duo didn't want to pull Wufei into the whole thing. He didn't really know why. Maybe because he didn't want to appear weak or whiny, or just that after so many years of dealing with it alone, he was starting to wonder if he was imagining the whole thing. He just hoped that John wasn't going to give Wufei any problems.

Duo listened to Wufei talk randomly about something, he didn't know what, as they walked over to the front door. Duo watched the cheerful Christmas sign on the door in dread as Wufei pressed the doorbell.

Solo's wife opened the door with a smile. "Hey guys, welcome, come on in."

Duo managed a more or less honest smile in return. "Hey Violet."

"Fei!" A screeching voice greeted them as soon as they steeped in though the doorway. There were a rumble of what sounded like a herd of bolting horses running before a wave of children raced towards them.

Duo quickly took cover behind his lover who happily greeted his fans. Duo grimaced at the sound of children, loudly trying to make themselves heard. Children really were one of the most annoying creatures on the planet. They were jumping, pulling at Wufei's sleeves and talking a mile a minute. Wufei barely had time to get his jacket off before he was pulled along into one of the kids' room.

Duo couldn't help but snicker as Wufei gave him a helpless look over his shoulder before the door was closed behind him.

It seemed like he was on his own. Duo took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself, then he followed Violet into the house.

"Hello everyone." He greeted the people sitting around the kitchen table with a smile, making sure that he didn't look his cousin in the eyes.

Solo grinned from where he was sitting at the head of the table. "Hey bro. Wasn't sure if you actually were hear since only 'Fei's' presence was announced."

Duo chuckled and moved over to sit down next to his brother, ignoring John who were sitting on the other side of the table. "That's what happens when you arrive with a superstar."

"They must have deemed you as unimportant in seconds." John said lightly in a carefree tone, but Duo knew better. The hateful look in those brown eyes told him that it was meant to hurt.

Duo cursed himself that he even had looked over at his cousin. He leaned back in his chair as he felt a familiar loneliness come over him. The others were talking happily but Duo found himself shrinking. He tried to be a part of the conversation but every time he tried, John would deliver a seemingly innocent comment that made made him freeze up.

The worst thing was that no one noticed, they just laughed when they thought he was joking. Duo fiddled with the end of his braid trying not to look as uncomfortable as he was as the rest chattered lightly. The two hosts were prepared the table with snacks and refreshments but Duo couldn't bring himself to touch anything.

John's comments weren't all that serious. Just taunts about his hair, his clothes, his sexuality. Things that Duo had heard countless of times before. But that didn't stop all the old feelings of hurt and isolation from coming back. Like John with just a dig could make Duo feel like he was fifteen, insecure and just out of the closet all over again.

Then just as suddenly as he had disappeared, Wufei was back again with his dark eyes, with his smile and his calm presence. Duo breathed out a sigh of relief.

"You okay?" Wufei asked quietly and gave him a concerned look.

Duo had never loved Wufei so much in his life as in that moment. He wasn't alone, he had Wufei on his side. He nodded to Wufei's question, because he was fine now. Nothing could be wrong as long as his lover was there.

"Hey Wufei, did they release you?" Solo asked with a smile as he shuffled a deck of cards.

Wufei smiled lightly. "I got a probation to visit Duo."

"Going from one kid to the other are you?" John said in a teasing tone that made Solo chuckle and ice run down Duo's spine.

A small frown graced Wufei's forehead and Duo almost cried in relief. Wufei had noticed.

He wanted to throw himself over his lover and hug him like a mad man but he settled for taking his hand and holding his fingers tightly. Wufei looked down and gave him a warm look before leaning his hip against Duo's chair and resting his arm on his shoulder while his fingers found the base of his braid. Duo leaned back into the touch, breathing easier then he had since he stepped out off the car.

Johanna, John's wife asked Wufei what the kids were up to and while he answered, Duo looked over at his cousin. John looked like he had swallowed something sour. Duo bit back a grin and wrapped an arm around Wufei's slim waist. This was the second best day of his life.

With Wufei by his side he was able to join the conversation without problems. John didn't stop with his comments but the simple fact that Wufei noticed and was getting annoyed helped him ignore it.

Now that all the adults were present they sat down around the table and Solo started to deal out the cards. The poker game started and it didn't take long before it was clear that Wufei was an absolute disaster at poker. Duo smiled fondly at Wufei as he seemed to randomly chose a card out of the ones in his hand.

But surprisingly it turned out to be a very good thing. Wufei's inexperience made the game less serious and the sense of competition that more often than not surfaced when Duo, his brother and and cousin tried to do something together didn't existing. This especially since the game was put on hold by Wufei on more than one occasion. The reason was simple, because every now and then one of the kids would come in to show Wufei something that they had painted or a toy that they were proud of. Every time Wufei would put his cards down and give them his full attention for a few minutes before the game could start up again. The kids all left with the same question, 'are you done yet?' to which Wufei would shake his head with a smile.

Anne, who according to Duo had a huge crush on Wufei, would come back every five minutes or so for different reasons until Wufei lifted her up in his lap so that she could help him play. It was simply tragic when a five year old's help would actually make you play better. Not by much, but still.

Duo not only enjoyed the game and most of the company, he also enjoyed watching John squirm. God knows why he was doing it. It wasn't like they were doing anything "obviously gay" in front of him. But Duo had stopped trying to understand his cousin years ago. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to know what was going through that man's head.

But the shit hit the fan when his cousin's son Matthew came in and wanted to sit next to Anna so he also could help Wufei play. Wufei easily lifted Anna over to one of his legs to make room for the boy who happily started to climb up.

The tension around John, went sky high as he man launched himself to his feet.

"Go back to the other kids." He hissed to his son.

Matthew froze and looked up at his father with wide eyes. "But-"

"Now!" John roared and stomped forward. With a tight grip around the boys arm he pulled his son towards the door. The eight year old who clearly didn't know what was going on startled in to tears. Johanna quickly got to her feet and hurried after them, leaving a trail of cards after her.

Wufei was the first to snap out of his shock and quickly lifted Anna off his lap. He took a hold of her chin, making her focus on him instead of the hushed argument that was breaking out between John and his wife over by the door.

"Sometimes grown ups have to talk about some things while there are no kids around. Can you go back to your room and tell the others to stay there until we are done?" He asked calmly.

The little girl nodded with wide eyes before sprinting towards her room.

Duo had a really bad feeling about this as he watched his cousin who looked ready to kill someone when he marched back to the table.

"John?" Johanna hissed, demanding an explanation. His cousin didn't answer, he simply shook with anger. His fist were clenched tightly as he stopped in front of the table.

Solo got to his feet and took a couple of steps towards his friend. "John, what the hell man. What's up?"

John turned sharply towards the other man. "What's up?!" he roared and pointed with his whole arm towards Wufei. "What's up is that I am not going to stand by and let that fucking paedophile touch my child!!!"

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.

Wufei looked like he ether wanted to throw up or rip John's heart out. Duo on the other hand had no conflict over the subject. His fist hit John's jaw before his chair had time to hit the floor. There were a jumble of movement where Solo, Johanna and Wufei jumped in to get him off John while Duo had every intention to make sure John would only be able to eat fluid from now on. Unfortunately, Duo didn't manage to get any more hits on his cousin since Wufei stepped in his way and wrapped his hand tightly around his raised fist. Duo immediately dropped his arm, breathing heavily, muscles shaking in effort to hold back.

Johanna looked drawn between being upset and shock from where she was standing between them.

"We are leaving." Duo hissed as he glared at John over the women's shoulder.

"No, we are not. Not before we have solved this." Wufei stated and pulled him back by his arm. Duo dropped his shoulders and stepped closer to Wufei, as if trying to let some of his lover's calm flow into him.

John snorted as he rubbed his jaw, smearing the blood from his broken lip. "Well now we know who's spreading them, can't say I'm surprised."

"John!" Was his wife's shocked and embarrassed response.

"Look." Wufei said calmly, but from the way his hands were shaking he was anything but. "I understand that you are just worried about your child but I have no-"

John cut him of with a harsh laugh. "Like I'm going to trust words coming out of a cock sucking mouth, you sick fucking bastard."

"John, I think it's time for you to go." Solo said in a cold voice.

"Oh for fuck sakes, don't make it sound like I'm the bad guy here, it's not like you haven't thought about it yourself."

Solo glared. "No, I have not, not for a second. I really think it's time for you to go."

John set his mouth in a grim line as he turned to Solo. "I'm just-"

"Now John!" Solo demanded, flicking his arm towards the door.

"I can't believe that you are siding with the paedophiles." Was John's departing words as he marched towards Anna's bedroom.

"I- I'm really sorry about this. I don't know hat has gotten into him." Johanna tried to apologize before hurrying after her husband. They could hear Matthew and his sister's whining protests as John dragged them towards the front door. A rumble of jackets, boots and gloves were heard while John's angry voice urging his family on. It didn't take long before the door slammed close behind them.

Duo pulled Wufei into his arms, hugging him tightly. Wufei took a almost desperate grip on the back of his sweater as he buried his in Duo's shoulder. The silence around them were thick.

Duo lifted his head from the top of Wufei's head and looked over at his brother. "I think we should go." He said as he stroke Wufei's long hair.

Solo nodded. "Yeah, I'll talk to you guys later."

Duo steered the unresponsive Wufei towards the hallway. He helped him with his clothes and held the door open for him. The trip back to his parents' house were long and quiet. Duo didn't know what to do or say. This wasn't a situation where he could just joke and make the whole thing go away.

Parking the car outside his parents house he turned to the quiet man beside him. "Are you okay."

After a long pause, Wufei shrugged.

"Let's go inside. It's still early but we could use some rest. Come on."

There were another long pause before Wufei reached out and opened his door. Duo took it as a victory.

The harsh wind greeted them outside the car, blowing snow over them in sharp slaps. Duo hurried his apathetic lover on through the snow dunes covering their path. The front porch were covered in snow and he shoved the worst of it away with his foot, clearing the way for them.

He quickly opened the door and more or less shoved Wufei in before closing it behind him, breathing out a sigh of relief at the warmth inside.

"You better have whipped you shoes off before you-" His mother cut herself off as she come around the corner and saw them."Are you alright boys? Did something happen? Are you hurt?" She asked worriedly when she took in Wufei's slumping shape and her son's grim face.

Duo hung Wufei's jacket up by the door before turning to her."No,we're fine-" He cut himself off when it was obvious that she didn't believe him. "We're going to be fine. I'll tell you tomorrow but right now we just need some rest."

"Of course and you just tell me if you need anything, that goes for both of you."

Duo nodded and steered Wufei towards the stairs. The distressed Asian didn't seem to be aware of his surrounding, too lost in his own thoughts to care.

Deciding to skip the tooth brushing, Duo lead his lover into the bedroom where he started to undress him.

Wufei didn't protest as Duo pulled his clothes off, but he didn't offer much help ether. Duo sat him down at the edge of the bed to get his socks off, leaving his lover dressed only in his underwear. Duo then set out to remove his own clothes as quickly as possible.

Lifting the cover he crawled in and held his arms open. "Come here sweetheart."

Wufei were still for a couple of seconds before slowly moving over to him. The other man collapsed down next to him and Duo wrapped his arms and legs around him. Placing soft butterfly kisses all over his lover's face he wished he knew what to say to make it all better. But words failed him and they lay there quietly in the bed.

"Duo." Wufei spoke up in a thick voice for the first time since they had left Solo's house. "What if- I never thought anyone would think t-." He shuddered violently and Duo wrapped himself tighter around his lover. "I don't come of like a p- pe- one of those, do I?"

"No Wufei. Never think that. John doesn't like homosexuals, he's just an ignorant asshole."

"He- he might just have been worried about his children. Maybe because- I." Wufei took a short shaky breath. "I don't touch them too much, do I? But they are kids! They are always all over you. Wanting attention and hugs. Maybe I do it too much, maybe I-" He shuddered again.

Duo placed his hands on both sides of Wufei's head, turning his face towards him. "Listen to me. It's not about you. It's him. He's always been like that. When I first came out he wouldn't touch me, he wouldn't pass me anything at the dinner table, he wouldn't be anywhere near me if he didn't have to. He would talk down to me all the time and fed every rumour there was about me. It's just the way he is, he's an asshole. He might as well have said it to me, if it wasn't for the fact that I can't stand the little monsters." He tried to joke, unsuccessfully.

Wufei just turned his face into the pillow, pulling the cover up further. Duo sighed. "I'm serious, it had nothing to do with anything you have done. Just a few years ago he told me that I really should not be allowed to walk Howard's dogs because god knows what I would do to to them out in the woods."

Wufei's sad eyes looked over at him and a hand found his among the beddings. "He's an asshole and he has always been an asshole. It has nothing to do with us." He curled up against Wufei, holding him tightly. "It's not us, it's him." He stated, like his words alone could make all homophobia disappear from the planet. He took a deep breath into his love's hair, silently cursing John to the fires of hell. "It's not us." He repeated softly as Wufei nuzzled his head under his chin.

There was nothing more to say. They simply curled up together under the cover, trying to forget the world outside.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Come on, -please- review. A line or two about what you thought about this is all I ask for. As a Christmas present for me?


	14. Kissing in the closet

Chapter 14 Kissing in the closet  


* * *

Despite the heavy mood that followed the poker night, New Year's Eve came without warning and the couple soon found themselves standing outside the house where Matt lived. Duo had never been in it but it looked like it was a lot bigger than the last one. Having a bigger house only meant one thing in Matt's world, a bigger party. The street was lined with cars and they could hear the laughter and the music from inside.

Wufei was nervously rubbing his bracelet.

"It's alright. You have met a few of them before." Duo tried to calm him down.

Wufei squirmed unhappily. "I know, I just can't help feeling nervous. There will be a lot of people in there and I'm probably going to be all awkward."

"We don't have to go if you don't want to." He said, even though he knew that Wufei would never agree to it.

"No, we are going. But if you can't find me, go look in the basement or something."

Duo snickered. "I will, but if you don't feel like talking to anyone you can just stick close to me... and tell me if Jack is bothering you."

Wufei lifted his head and pushed some of his loose hair in behind his ear. "I think I can take it. A few insults isn't going to bother me."

Duo grimaced. "It's not that, he usually gets really flirty when he's drunk and he's always drunk on New Year's Eve." And Duo just knew that Jack was going to focus on Wufei. He had known it from the second Wufei had responded to his insults, because Jack just loved people who fought back without getting angry. In his earlier relationships, whoever he was dating usually got pissed off when they meet Jack. Years ago, when they had been in their early twenties, Duo had tried to defend his lovers from Jack until he realized that it only made things worse. Because Jack wouldn't stop until he got a reaction. Unfortunately nothing turned Jack on as much as verbal sparring... especially when he was drunk. He should know from the amount of times they had fought and ended up in bed together.

Duo took Wufei's hand and led him up to the front door. He never got the chance to ring the bell because the door was ripped open before he could raise his arm.

"Duo!" A happily drunk Matt threw himself over him, hugging him tightly while telling him that he was the bestest friend ever and he loved him lots and lots.

Duo laughed and hugged him back. "Started a bit early there, did you?" He asked his friend but he didn't get a answer since Matt was far to busy hugging Wufei who he apparently also loved lots and lots. Wufei looked really uncomfortable as he awkwardly clapped the larger man on his back.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before the intoxicated man found someone else that he loved lots and lots and Wufei breathed out a sigh in relief.

They managed to take a few steps further in to the house before they got jumped again.

"Wofei!" A trilled voice called out and Duo snickered as Wufei unconsciously stepped closer to him.

Tris stormed through the crowed, dressed in a almost obscenely short golden dress. Duo was actually pretty sure that he could see her dick from the way she was almost bouncing over to them. She wrapped her arms around Wufei's shoulders, pressing his face up into her fake chest, ignoring the distressed noise coming from the trapped man.

"I'm so happy that you are here, you just have to meet Danielle, she is going to just love you." She released Wufei long enough for the man to take a sharp desperate breath, before turning to Duo. "I'm just going to borrow him for a little while, you'll get him back more or less unmolested."

Duo swallowed down the acid feeling of jealousy that instinctively spread through his body.

He looked over at Wufei who gave him a soft smile, signalling that he was okay and that he would see him later. Duo smiled back, letting his trust in Wufei calm him.

Seconds later the two of them were gone, lost in the crowd of celebrators. With a sigh he looked around the room. There were people everywhere, the alcohol was flowing and remixed Christmas songs played in the back ground. He made his way over towards what he assumed was the kitchen, hoping to find something to drink and possibly someone he knew. Well, he 'knew of' just about everyone he saw, but that didn't mean that he really knew any of them or that he wanted to talk to them.

"Hey Maxwell." Someone greeted him. It took Duo several seconds before he identified the guy as an old classmate from the fourth grade and another couple of seconds before he managed to remember his name.

"Peter, hey man. What are you up to nowadays?"

The pale man pushed a thumb in to his jeans pocket with a shrug. "This and that. I'm working over at the factory but I also do a lot of electricity work on the side, if you know what I mean." Pete laughed slightly. "So what's up with you? I almost didn't believe it when I heard that the player of all people was getting married!"

Duo smiled. "Yeah, I guess there's hope for everyone."

"Totally, I thought you were the last one who was going to step in the trap." Peter said, handing Duo a glass that he accepted without thought.

Looking down, Duo eyed the alcohol unhappily. He didn't really want to drink it. The memory of what had happened the last time hunted him, making him feel slightly ill. Peter was still talking but Duo was far too focused on his drink to listen. He wondered how rude it would be just to get rid of it.

Then the glass was pulled out off his hand. Duo blinked and looked over at his lover who pushed a unopened soda can into his hand with a grim look on his face.

Duo smiled and bent down to kiss him. "Thank you." He mumbled gratefully.

"You're welcome." They shared a small smile and Duo happily opened his can.

"Hey, if you wanted a drink that bad I can get you you're own." Peter said

"No thank you, I already have one." Wufei replied as he raised his beer bottle slightly. "He's just not going to drink anything stronger than that can tonight."

Peter gave him a look of disbelief. "What? It's New Year's Eve, you can just take a cab home."

"He's not drinking." Wufei stated.

"But why? You have to join in on a party like this." The older man exclaimed, gesticulating with his glass and barely managing not to spill it all over a girl standing with her back towards him.

Wufei shifted his jaw and Duo clearly recognized Wufei's stubborn stand. "No." Was the clear answer.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh, for fucks sake. It's New Year's Eve, of course he's got to drink."

"No. He is not."

"What are you, his keeper?"

Wufei glared. "Yes, something like that."

"Damn, Maxwell. How whipped are you if you can even drink on New Year's Eve?"

Duo opened his mouth to defend his fiancé but Wufei cut him off. "Very. So if he wants to get laid ever again he better behave."

"Man I hope that ass is worth it." Peter snorted, saluting Duo with his glass before moving along.

Duo turned to his lover. "You didn't need to play the bad guy." He mumbled, taking a sip from his can.

"Yes I did. He wouldn't have taken no as an answer and I knew that you did not want to explain yourself to him."

Duo nodded. It was enough that his friends and family knew what had happened and what had almost happened that night. He didn't need for the whole thing to end up in the rumours mill.

"Hey! Needle dick is here."

They turned towards the doorway leading in to the kitchen, where a blond leather dressed man were leaning each hand against the door frame.

Wufei's lips twitched. "Oh, it's the couch potato. What bad movie dialogue do you have for me today?" Wufei asked calmly as he sipped his beer.

Jack grinned. "I think we should just skip the talking and go right to the action."

"You're a stunt man too? Please, do show me when you fall down the stairs, or why not the roof."

Jack leered as he swaggered over to Wufei. "Oh, baby I have many, many things to show you. You just lean back and I'll give you a private show."

"That's nice, it's been a long time since I last visited the circus."

"Mmmm, I'll show you all my tricks, I'm going to blow your mind. It's going to be like nothing you have ever seen before." The blond purred as he licked his lips.

Wufei tilted his head. "I thought they didn't have freak shows nowadays, discrimination and all that."

Duo noticed both that Jack looked more then a little turned on by the conversation but also that Wufei actually looked relaxed for the first time since they had left from home. He tried not to let it bother him. The verbal sparring continued while Duo watched. He felt the need to cling grow, but he held it back. He was not going to keep doing that, it was time to stop.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Duo. Can I have a word with you." Trowa asked as he stepped in between him and Wufei.

Duo frowned at the serious tone. "Yeah, sure."

Trowa gave the still arguing couple a look over his shoulder. "Alone."

Duo nodded, feeling that it had to be something pretty serious if it got his friend in to this kind of mood. "Hey, Wufei. I'm going to have a word with Trowa."

"Okay, you know where to look for me if I'm not here when you get back."

They shared a private little smile over the thought of Wufei´s hidding place before Duo turned to follow his friend out off the room. He ignored the cold feeling in his chest as he turned his back on his lover. He knew that Wufei would never cheat on him, he KNEW this. Jack might be a flirt and there had been that time that he had slept with Duo's on-off boyfriend when they were seventeen, but that was then and this was now. Not to mention that this was Wufei.

He twisted the ring on his finger and laughed softly to himself. No. He didn't have anything to worry about. Feeling slightly ridiculous for even thinking about it, he followed the purple and green tomahawk out of the room. Trowa who obviously had been in the house before led him through the living room, up the stairs and into Matt's bedroom.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Trowa turned around and looked him straight in the eye. "Is it true? Are you getting married?" His friend said in a tight voice.

Duo grinned brightly. "Yeah, cool huh?" he held the ring out for inspection, but Trowa barely gave it a glance.

"How long, exactly, have you known Wufei?"

Duo flinched. "Uhmm, about thee months."

Trowa's yaw dropped. "Three- Duo, what the fuck have you gotten yourself into?"

"Hey!" Duo protested loudly. He had gotten himself into the best thing that had ever happened to him and he was not going to stand by as someone, even a friend, said anything negative about it.

"I'm not trying to be mean Duo, I'm just saying that with your... track record, you have to understand that I'm a bit scared that you are making a mistake. That you are just hanging on to the first person who was interested in staying." Duo started to protest but Trowa cut him off. "I know he''s a nice guy and I know that you love each other, I'm not blind. But I'm just questioning if the both of you are ready for this."

"We are." Duo stated stubbornly.

"Are you sure? Marriage is big. Have you really thought this through? I'm not saying that you shouldn't be together, I just wish you wouldn't rush it. You are not even living together are you?"

Duo shook his head.

"Why don't you start off by moving in together first of all to see how the two of you get along when you have to see each other all day, every day?"

The thought of living with Wufei sent a thrilling shiver through his body. He could hardly wait.

"I know you Duo, I know that you are happier with Wufei then you have ever been with any of your exes, but that doesn't mean that you know him well enough to spend the rest of your life with him. Especially not after just three months. Things like this should be planned, not rushed into after a few months."

Duo looked embarrassed. "I- we haven't really planned anything yet. We are most likely going to have a pretty long engagement. Wufei's intention wasn't -really- that we were going to get married, it was more like a promise, but I kind of, uhm, thought we should skip that part."

Trowa snickered as if against his will as he rubbed his hands over his face, then up over the shaved sides of his head. "Unbelievable. You really have to do everything over the top, don't you?"

"Well... yeah." Duo looked at his friend who had a honestly concerned look in his eyes. Duo licked his lips as he tried to gather his thoughts into something that wouldn't sound too naïve and straight out of a teenage soap opera."I can't describe it to you but I know, I -know- that we are going to be fine together."

Trowa sighed deeply. "I hope you are right. You deserve all the happiness you can get."

"Thank you." Duo wrapped his arms around his friend and hugged him tightly. Trowa chuckled and hugged him back with a couple of manly back slaps.

"That's good, come on, let's go back down stairs."

-:-:-:-:-

He was talking to another old classmate of his that he hadn't seen in years when Tris came and linked their arms together. Duo excused himself to the woman he had been talking to, who easily moved on to the next guy, probably hoping that maybe that one would at least stare at her breasts.

"Have you seen Wofei." Tris asked a bit too casually.

"It's WU-fei."

"Right, so have you seen him?"

"Yeah, he's somewhere over there with Jack." He said and waved his hand towards the other side of the house.

Tris gave him a long look. "You do realize that Jack is pretty tipsy right now, right?"

Duo took a sip from his second soda of the evening. "Yeah."

"And you left Wufei with him?"

"Jack isn't going to run off with him or anything." Duo said and rolled his eyes.

"No, but he does get pretty careless with his hands."

Duo snorted. "Wufei can take care of himself."

Tris looked at him in confusion. "Yeah but..." The woman laughed shortly. "It's just so out of character for you not to care."

Duo was quiet for a second, remembering that acid feeling in his chest. "I care... I just ... don't feel the need to worry."

"My god, I never thought I'd see the day when Duo Maxwell finally found someone to trust." She laughed. "What the hell happened, did you grow up or something?"

Duo shrugged with a crooked smile. "Something like that. It was bound to happened some time."

"Yeah, but I never thought it would happen before your thirties."

Duo grinned. "Man, I even had two years left. I rock."

Tris rolled his eyes. "I'm totally blaming Wofei for the whole thing."

"WU-fei." Duo protested.

"What ever, well when he's done with Jack, tell him that I'm looking for him. He sneaked off before I could introduce him to the rest of the girls."

'Smart move.' Duo thought as Tris walked away. There was only so much one could take of Tris and her girlfriends. He made mental note to stick close to Wufei when Tris came along next time so that he could save his lover if things got too much for him.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo was on his way over to where he left Wufei, thinking that Jack's monopoly on Wufei had gone on for far too long now. He startled when he got a hard slap on his ass. "Hey hot stuff," someone purred in his ear.

Duo turned around, ready to punch who over was behind him in the face. He relaxed when he saw just who thought being slapped on the ass was a nice greeting. "Zechs, you fucking bastard." He grinned.

"Missed you too wankstain."

"Up yours, you fucking cunt-licker."

"Anytime sperm burper."

They laughed as they wrapped their arms around each other.

The other man dunked him affectionately on the back before stepping back. "So, what have you been up to? I haven't heard from you since you moved away from here."

Duo lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "So you haven't heard the rumours."

Zechs snorted. "You have clearly forgotten who you are talking to."

"Right, you are still into the whole anti gossip movement?" Duo questioned in amusement.

"Hell yes, I fucking hate all the gossiping bitches in this hole." The blond said with a sneer.

"Better not say that where Tris can hear you."

Zechs huffed. "Tomas can blow me. No, never mind, I don't want lip-gloss on my cock."

Duo who knew that Zechs had a huge crush on Tris simply smiled. "What ever you say. Well, to answer your question, I'm still at the university. But I guess that the biggest news is that I've gotten engaged."

The other man's eyes went wide. "Seriously?! Fuck man, I don't believe it. No way."

"It's true, I swear."

"Must be some guy to put up with your ugly ass."

"The best. He's around here somewhere if you want to meet him."

"Shit yeah, totally. I have to meet this guy."

"If you see a long haired Chinese guy here somewhere, then you know it's him."

"Damn, that one was yours? Typical, I saw him when I was getting my beer. And I was going to hit on him and everything." Zechs complained.

"Too bad, that one is all mine." Duo said with his teeth slightly bared.

"Well I've got to say, you have finally picked up some taste in men because that one was fucking hot."

"And don't I know it."

Zechs smirked. "But I can't believe you and your jealousy let him outside in those jeans. It looked like he poured himself into them."

Duo snickered. "Let him? I damn well begged him to wear them. They sure as hell aren't his own. He mostly wears baggies pants that doesn't show of anything. Quatra got him those from her wardrobe."

"Quatra? Duo, you do realize that those pants were not made for girls?"

Duo swallowed awkwardly. "I'm actually trying not to think about that part. I do not want to know what a pair of jeans for men were doing in my little sister's bedroom."

His friend grinned. "How old is Quatra anyway?"

"It was her eighteenth birthday yesterday."

"Seriously?! Little blond Quatra who used to follow us around everywhere on her pink little bike? No way. Damn, we got old."

"Yeah, the thought has struck me a couple of times. Wufei, my fiancé, kept teasing me about how she was a legal adult and shit. I was like 'just because you are eighteen, doesn't mean that you are an adult."

Zechs snorted with a look of distaste on his face. "Hell no, I remember when we were eighteen, we didn't know jack shit about anything."

"Tell me about it." Duo mumbled. "But then he was like 'in that case, then three years shouldn't make that much difference.'"

The blond tilted his head. "I'm not following."

Duo sighed. "He's twenty-one"

"Whoow, picked up some fresh meat did you? Well he does have a point, three years isn't that long. You might as well have boned one of Quatra's friends."

"Shut it asswipe. I don't even want to think about how good friends those two are."

Zechs gave his a strange look. "Don't tell me that you are jealous of your own little sister, that is a bit much, even for you."

"No, nothing like that. It's just that she's a total fag hag and she's gotten her claws in him like you wouldn't believe. To make things worse, Wufei doesn't really believe in 'don't kiss and tell.'"

Zechs laughed. "That could be bad. Very bad."

"Yeah like I said, I don't even want to think about it." He faked a shudder. "I especially don't want to think about what he got her for her birthday."

"Oh, this will be good. What did he get her?" The other man grinned, looking more then a little excited.

"That's the thing, I have no idea. He handed her an envelop and then when she read the letter inside she just freaked. She was hugging him like mad while chanting 'thank you-thank you-thank you.' Then when I asked him what he got her, he just patted me on the head and told me not to think about it because I did not want to know." Duo snorted. "Of course I want to know. It's my insane sister and Mr-Why-can't-I-talk-about-sex-while-eating-breakfast--with-the-in laws, we are talking about."

Zechs snickered. "I so have to meet this guy."

"Well I was actually on my way to save him from Jack who is probably still flirting with him."

"Sounds good."

The two men made made their was through the crowed, over to where he last seen his lover. Wufei and Jack were both standing more or less at the same place as where he left them. Only difference was that Jack had taken several steps forward. He felt a twitch of jealousy when he saw just how close the two were standing, but he forced it down.

"Wu, I want you to meet someone."

Wufei's eyes left Jack and landed on him. Then there were no such thing as jealousy left in Duo's body, because those dark eyes were lit up just for him. It was probably only in his mind but it did feel like his heart skipped a beat whenever Wufei trapped him with his eyes like this.

He wanted-needed-had to touch him. He forgot about Jack, about the crowded room, he just lost himself in that need. Wufei, who probably had learned to recognize the look in his eyes took a hold of his hand and pulled him in behind him. Right away, Duo wrapped himself around Wufei's back, feeling like a baby koala.

"Hi." He whispered with a silly grin.

Wufei chuckled and put his arms over Duo's. "Welcome back my Adonis." His dark eyed lover whispered.

Duo hugged him tighter, burying his face in Wufei's lose hair.

"Awwww, that's so sweet that I really just want to throw up until only acid and blood comes up."

"Shut up Zechs or I'll tell Tris where her missing pant-"

"Fine! No need to play dirty." The blond cut in as he took a quick look around as if to make sure that Tris wasn't around.

Duo stood up a bit straighter but did not let go of his lover. "Wufei, this Zechs, an old friend of mine. Zechs, this is my fiancé Wufei Chang."

Duo could almost feel how Wufei pulled strength out of his presence when he steadily held his hand out to the taller man. "Nice to meet you."

"You too. I wish your sanity all the best if you really plan on sticking around this guy."

Wufei smiled gently. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"Already lost it have you?" Zechs teased.

"Beyond all sense and reason."

God, were there any wonder that he was mad about this man? Duo just wanted to pull him into an empty room and kiss him until neither of them could breath anymore, get down on his knees and suck his cock.

"Nothing left to damage then, that's good."The blond chuckled.

"You know all about that, don't you Zenchy?" When the blond snorted, Duo pretended to see someone behind his friends shoulder. "Hey Tris." He said happily, making Zechs go stiff.

"Eh, I was nice seeing you, I'llseeyoulaterbye." The man mumbled as he hurried away.

Duo snickered while Wufei just looked confused. "He has a huge crush on Tris but he wont do anything about it. He asked her out once a couple of years ago and she turned him down, the poor bastard still hasn't gotten over it."

Wufei pulled out off his arms and turned to look at him in disapproval. "Well in that case it was not very nice to taunt him about it."

"I'm just trying to make him try again. I'm pretty sure that the reason why she turned him down was because she was going after this other guy at the time."

"Well I still think you should be nicer about it."

"But he's always such a bastard to me, why can't I do the same?" Duo pouted.

Wufei didn't say anything, he just looked at him.

"Oh, fine. I'll play nice." Duo grumbled.

"Thank you. I'm sure that he could handle it, but still."

"He could handle it alright. What's so funny with that guy is that he has a mouth that is about as dirty as Jack's, if not worse, but only around his friends. When he's in public or around his rich ass family he acts like the stiffest guy imaginable."

Wufei was about to say something but got cut off as a low beep was heard and Wufei reached down into his pocket to fish his phone out. What ever it was he read, it made the shorter man snicker.

"What?" Duo questioned as he leaned closer.

The Asian gave him a amused smile through his lose hair. "You really are the most curious man I have ever met in my life." He laughed. "It's from Helen, she wishes us a happy new year."

"That's nice." Duo replied and took a sip from his can.

"While free falling out of a plane."

Duo coughed, making drops of cola fly. "What?! She's jumping out of planes?"

Wufei grinned as he put his phone back. "Yeah, she has this strange friend or maybe I should call her arch enemy named Hilde who she competes with. Basically they have known each other since they were kids and ever since they have been trying to prove that they are... cooler? I don't know, I can't say that I understand any of it. They are constantly trying to beat each other in strange extreme sports."

Duo thought back to the photo model looking blond that he had meet a couple of times. "I seriously did not expect that from her."

"Me nether, I thought she was joking when she told me that she was going to go crocodile hunting during her summer holiday back when I started working at the shop. Then when she got back she showed me the bite marks on her arm. I don't think I've ever seen her so proud over anything as she was over that row of scars."

Duo blinked. "... Right." He said, making a mental note to stay on a healthy distance from her.

-:-:-:-:-:-

A few hours later, Duo was having the time of his life. He had his whole old gang around him and they were mentally re-living their "wild days," even if it was slightly toned down because of all the boyfriends and girlfriends around them.

It was a long time since he had the time to meet all of them. There were only a few of them left in town since most of his friends had taken the first chance they gotten to get the hell away from the "the hell hole" Of all his friends, only Matt and Jack were still living here. But Jack probably wouldn't be staying much longer, not if he got that job he was hoping for, then he would be out of here faster then the ugly cat from under the couch at the sight of his braid.

Duo leaned back in his arm chair as he took a sip from his third soda can of the night. He got a few jabs about being the only sober guy in the house but it was all just for fun. His friends might be a bit rough around the edges but they were all good people.

Trowa was telling everyone about that time when they tried, very unsuccessfully, to steal a bottle of Vodka from his brother. They all laughed when they remembered the wild chase that had followed.

Duo cut his laughter off as he felt a presence next to him and looked up to see his lover standing next to the armchair. He grinned happily and moved over so that he could sit down next to him. Wufei had been missing for a while now since Tris had gotten her hands on him. Apparently the kitchen had turned into the center of the gossip mill and Tris was its queen. He seriously did not want to think about all the things those women had been able to get out off Wufei about him, but on the other hand, he would probably find out sooner or later.

Wufei sank down next to him and Duo wrapped himself around him. He decided that he had earned it after holding himself back more or less all night like a good boy. Now it was time to shamelessly cuddle his fiancé as much as he could while in public.

Only that something was not right. Wufei was smiling but Duo could see that he was uncomfortable. The muscles around his eyes were tense and he was leaning into him a bit too much to be normal.

Deciding that enough was enough, he got to his feet and turned to his lover who gave him a look in question. "Come on." He said softly, taking his lover's hand and helping him up. Taking a new grip around Wufei's hand he lead him through the crowd.

Without a word he took him up the stairs, into Matt's bedroom and over to the slightly open door that he had seen while talking to Trowa.

The door lead in to a small walk in closet. Stepping in he closed the door half way, leaving a just big enough opening to let some light in. Squatting down he pushed a bunch of shoes to the side before crawling in under the hanging clothes, dragging Wufei down with him.

"You are insane." Wufei laughed as he carefully moved a par of black polished shoes away so that he could sit down.

"Matt doesn't have a basement." Duo grinned in the dim light as he moved a couple of shirts above him to the side.

Wufei leaned back against the wall and put his head against Duo's arm. "Thank you, it got a bit much there for a while." The shorter man said softly as he closed his eyes.

"You are welcome." He whispered lovingly.

Duo ran a hand through Wufei's lose hair while he thought about all the things that Trowa had said. It was true that they might not have known each other for all that long, in fact just thinking about how long it actually was made it seem absurd. It felt like years, not weeks since they had met and since they had started dating. God, he was closer to Wufei then he was to people that he had known all his life. No, time didn't matter, not to them.

Wufei had pulled his braid up in his lap and were petting the length softly.

They sat there together in the dark among shoes, clothes and boxes, not really talking, just enjoying each others presence.

"Ten! nine! eight!" The could hear the crowed screaming from downstairs.

"Seven!"

Duo raised his hand to cup the back of Wufei's head.

"Six!"

Wufei's hand stroke it's way up the side of his face.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three! Two! ONE!" Everyone cheered, except Duo and Wufei who were too busy kissing.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you'll have a fantastic year and one hell of a party XD

Please, leave me a review. You have no idea how happy I will be if you do.


	15. The spotted bunny

Chapter 15 –The spotted bunny

* * *

The next morning came with chirping birds, bright warm sunshine and a hungover lover. Duo smiled fondly at the miserable bundle under the covers that was curled up against his side.

He had been through his own share of hangovers where you woke up the next day, cursing yourself, trying to answer the question why you thought being a part of that drinking game was a good idea, why you ordered that bottle of champagne and why, god why, you entered a Tequila race with the biggest drinkers in town.

First thing he did was to pull the blinds down the window, shutting out the bright sunlight and making the room dim and hangover friendly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked the bundle.

The response was a low broken sound that Duo translated into 'What the fuck do you think? End my suffering by killing me or go away you hell spawn.'

Since he had his fair share of these kinds of mornings, Duo simply ran a hand over Wufei's shoulder to show him that he wasn't offended by the brush off before getting out of the bed. He got dressed as quietly as he could, not wanting to add to his lover's suffering.

He carefully closed the door behind him, making sure not to make any unnecessary noise before making his way down stairs. The house was quiet but by the looks of his father's snow covered boots standing over by the front door, he wasn't the first one up by a long shot.

He dragged a hand through his ruffled bangs with a jaw as he walked into the kitchen. His mother was sitting by the kitchen table, dressed in an old dressing gown with the sun shining through the window. A worn romance novel was held open with one hand and the other where holding a mug of tea. She looked very surprised to see him.

"Duo? I didn't expect to see you for at least-" She turned her eyes towards the clock on the wall "- another five hours."

Duo shrugged as he made his way over to the refrigerator. The bottle and jars standing on the inside shelfs on the door rattled as he opened it. "Well, considering that I didn't drink yesterday…" He trailed off as he searched the shelves for something to eat. The refrigerator was filled with food, as it always was during Christmas, he just didn't know what to choose. There were some potatoes au gratin left from the New Years Eve dinner that they missed, but he couldn't find anything to eat with it. He bent over to search the lower shelves.

"That's a nice change." His mother said, sounded pleased. "There are some cod filets left if you want it."

Duo dipped a hand in under the edge of his pants to scratch his stomach. "Where?" He asked with a yawn.

"Third shelf behind the salad bowl. There should be enough for the both of you."

Duo laughed slightly as he lifted out both the salad bowl and the plastic covered plate behind it. "Wufei won't be eating anything in a long while."

"Oh?"

Duo grinned as he lined the food up on the counter, removing the plastic that was covering it. "He doesn't drink all that often and his body wasn't prepared for the drinks Tris more or less poured down his throat."

His mother frowned as she pushed an escaped curl in behind her ear. "Tris?"

Duo found a sauce pot that he put on the counter next to the rest of the food before closing the refrigerator with his foot. "Yeah, you know, Tomas who used to wear more make up than all the girls in school."

The blond smiled against the rim of her mug. "Oh, Tomas Wellbridge, he's such a nice boy. What is he doing now days?"

Duo snickered. "Trying very hard not to be a boy." He started piling leftovers on his plate, making sure to leave some space for the salad. Because on the list of things that made you feel like you were a kid again, being nagged about vegetables came right after getting a pile of newly washed clothes. "He mostly goes by Tris now days." Duo said off handedly as he fished a piece of cucumber out of the glass bowl, chewing it slowly. " She moved down south and got a job at a fashion magazine. "

"That's nice. What magazine is he-" She cut herself off. "-she working at?"

Duo shrugged as he opened the microwave and put his plate in.

"You don't know?"

Duo gave her a strange look over his shoulder. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Tom- Tris must have told you."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I remember what it was called. I'm gay, but not that gay." He made sure that his back was turned as he rolled his eyes. His mother really watched too much television - just like someone else he knew. He took a second to start the microwave before turning around to lean against the counter.

"But you must know what kind of magazine she's working at." She said with a frown as if she was disappointed that he didn't keep track of his friends.

Duo let out a annoyed sigh that mostly drowned in the buzzing sound coming from the microwave. "Not all of us are that interested in the fashion world."

"You are impossible." She shook her head at him, making the curl fall back from behind her ear. "But you can't fool me, I was the one who washed your clothes when you were a teenager, I know how many clothes you own."

Duo decided not to argue. One could just not win fairly against one's mother. "Yeah, well I still don't know what magazine she works at."

"Maybe Wufei knows."

"Wufei? He knows even less about fashion then I do." Duo dismissed with a flick of his hand as he turned to the beeping microwave.

"Well if nothing else he might have a better memory than you."

"Mmm." Duo mumbled around the food he was shoveling into his mouth.

"Impossible child." His mother muttered. "Sit down while you are eating and get yourself something to drink… in a glass." She ordered.

Duo sighed and got himself a glass, feeling like he was fourteen all over again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

He soundlessly slipped into his old bedroom. The room was still dim and the only thing that had changed was that the cover was no longer up over Wufei's head, instead it was just raised to his chin.

He walked over to the bed where a slight movement of a foot told him that his lover was awake. "I got you some painkillers." He said softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Tired eyes looked at him from bellow barely raised eyelids. A hand appeared from underneath the cover. It made a short impatient move that Duo translated in to 'You have my salvation? What the fuck are you waiting for? Give it to me or I'll rip your balls off.'

He understood the hangover language very well and did therefore simply drop the pills into Wufei's waiting palm. He was about to hand him a glass of water when his phone started ringing and Wufei whimpered unhappily at the sharp loud sound. Quickly answering it with a "Hold on a second" he handed his lover the water glass and helped him tip the glass enough so that he could swallow the pills. Wufei muttered something in the hangover language that Duo hoped was 'My hero, I will reward you with blowjobs when I no longer feel like throwing up.'

He left his lover to sleep it off, but not before carefully stroking a hand over Wufei's ruffled hair. When the door closed softly behind him, he lifted the phone to his ear.

"I'm back."

"Hey bro."

Duo smiled and leaned back against the wall. "Solo, what's up?"

"We were just wondering if the two of you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow. Last time didn't go all that well."

Duo snorted. "Understatement."

"Yeah, It took us the rest of the evening to calm Anna down. The walls are not that thick and the kids heard pretty much everything. They might not understand what was going on but they know that John was angry with Wufei."

"What did you tell them?"

"Some bull about adults not always getting along, you know. They didn't buy it but I sure as hell am not going to explained it to my five year old daughter." Solo sighed loudly. "I talked to mom yesterday. She said that Wufei was pretty shaken by… the whole thing with John."

Duo sighed and let himself sink down on the floor. He raised one knee up against his chest, wrapping his free arm around it. "Yeah, he was. He's really worried that someone will believe John. I'm pretty sure that was the reason he tried to drink all his brain cells away yesterday."

"Shit." Solo sighed loudly and Duo could hear him drag his hands over his unshaved chin like he always did when he was faced with bad news. "No one thinks that. Is there anything we can do to convince him that we don't believe that crap?"

Duo sighed and rubbed the side of his face, unaware how similar the move was to Solo's. "I don't know if it would be best if you ignored the whole thing or if you should talk to him. He was pretty upset when we got home, but he since then… not a word, nothing."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

Duo laughed harshly. "I have no idea, I suck at these things. But I've watched enough psycho babble on TV to guess that it's bad."

"You should come over. We'll just see how it goes. And on the other hand, we might get some peace and quiet around here since Anna has been talking about 'Fey' nonstop since you left. She even started crying when she realized that he wasn't going to be there during the New Years Eve dinner."

Duo grinned. "Awww, that's kind of sweet. I think you're daughter has a crush on my fiancé."

Solo snorted. "Whatever, so can I count you in? Tres and his family will be here too."

"I'll have to ask Wufei, but I would say yes for now and I'll let you know if he doesn't want to come."

"Sure, we could-" Solo got cut off by a loud 'I wanna!' coming from the background. Duo muffled a snicker as his brother groaned.

"Anna , you can't play with that."

"I wanna!"

"No, Anna put that down."

"No!"

"Anna-"

"NO!"

Solo sighed loudly. "I'll have to call you back."

Duo laughed as he ended the call. He was so glad that he didn't have any children.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei agreed to come to dinner, but it was done very reluctantly and Duo almost had to drag his lover over to his brother's house. It was a strange battle where it almost seemed like Wufei couldn't decide if he wanted to go or not. In the end they managed to make their way over to the door, just like they had done three days ago. The only different was that this time, Wufei was the one to stare at the happy Christmas sign in dread.

The door was opened by a small girl who barely came up to the door handle. A large smile broke out over her face when she saw who was on the other side and an answering smile spread over Wufei's face. Duo might as well have been a pile of snow for all she cared.

"Fey!" Anna cried out happily as they stepped in. She wrapped her arms around Wufei's legs before the door had time to swing close behind them. Wufei's smile froze and exchanged for a look of total terror as he obviously realized just how close her head was to his crotch. He tried to step back, to get away from her, but Anna wouldn't let go. Duo barely managed to catch the two of them as Wufei lost his footing.

Anna frowned up at Wufei "Fey?"

Wufei didn't answer her, he just reached down to detach her arms, something that only made her hug him tighter with her face pressed into his hip. Her small hands had a tight grip on his pants that would probably be a bit too close to Wufei's ass to be descent if it had been done by anyone else. Duo could tell that Wufei was starting to panic, especially since he didn't want to use force and risk hurting her. Duo wrapped his arms around Wufei, taking a hold of Wufei's wrists and brought them up against Wufei's heavy breathing chest.

"Relax sweetheart. You are not doing anything wrong." He whispered softly against his lover's ear. Wufei's head fell back against his shoulder and Duo pushed some of that dark hair behind a delicate ear. "Now give Anna a hug so we can go in and eat."

For a second Wufei simply leaned against him. "Okay." He whispered before turning to the little girl who was still wrapped around his legs. "Hey Anna, sorry, you just scare me a little bit." He said in a almost hollow voice.

"I didn't mean to." She said brokenly and hid her face against his hip. A soft almost unnoticeable sobbing could be heard.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." Wufei replied desperately and Duo stepped back as the other man dropped down on his knees to embrace the crying girl. Duo didn't know what to do and he felt completely helpless as he watched tears run down his fiancé's cheeks. He simply stood back, hopping that Anna would work some kind of magic on her new friend that would make everything better. It didn't take long before the rest of the children came along, flocking around Wufei like distressed dogs.

"Children really are strangely empathic.' Duo thought to himself as he watched the five children gather around Wufei, trying everything to make him happy again. They offered him stuffed animals, blankets, half eaten sweets and so many hugs that you could almost not tell where one child started and the other one ended. And by the looks of it, they just might have succeeded, because Wufei's tears dried out and a smile took its place on his face. The smile was somewhat strained but still, it was a smile, something that Duo himself had been unable to accomplish.

He decided that he should at least tell their hosts that they were here, something that they probably already knew.

"I'll be in the kitchen." He announced, guessing that it was the most likely place for the adults to be holding up since he could see the empty living room on the other side of the hallway.

He barely had time to take a step before Wufei stopped him with a tight grip on his arm. "Stay."

Duo grimaced. "You know I can't handle kids all that well." He said in a lowered voice.

Wufei gave him a desperate look. "But you can't- It'll be better if there are two of us."

Duo closed his eyes briefly, praying for strength. "Wufei, for the love of god, no one believes… those things. No one thinks that-" He lowered his voice even more. "-no one thinks that you are going to do anything to those children."

Wufei ducked his head, hiding his face behind a curtain of hair. "Even if they don't, they might start to doubt."

Duo sighed, not liking where this was going. The last thing he wanted was for Wufei to feel like he needed a watch dog. "Wufei-"

"Please." His lover begged insistently with his dark eyes looking up at him in desperation.

Duo's shoulders sank. "I'll stay. I'm just going to talk to the others for a few minutes, and then I'll be right back."

Wufei nodded in acceptance before getting his winter clothes off and letting himself be led into Anna's bedroom by happily chattering kids.

Duo sighed deeply as he too started to remove his overheated clothes. He had a feeling that this was going to end badly.

He made his way into the kitchen where he indeed found the lost adults. His two brothers and their wives were sitting around the table with grim faces.

"How is he?" Was the first question that fell out of Violet's mouth and Duo had a quick thought, wondering how on earth Wufei managed to charm every single female that he managed to encounter.

He pulled an empty chair out and sank down with a sigh. "Not too bad, but not all that good either. I have to get back there in a minute because he doesn't want to be alone with them."

A collective sound of sad disbelief was heard and Duo felt unbelievably grateful that no one even seemed to have the slightest doubt about Wufei. One just had to be grateful for the small favors.

"Fucking shit." Tres groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

His wife seemed to agree with him, wrapping her arms around herself as if the temperature in the room had gone down dramatically. "Poor Wufei."

Solo looked over at him from the other side of the table. "Do you think we should talk to him?"

Duo shrugged. "I don't know. It can't hurt, can it?" He rubbed the side of his face in frustration. "He doesn't believe me, so it might be a good thing if he gets to hear it from somebody else."

"Shit, I just can't believe that John could even think that, nevermind say it." Solo shook his head in bewilderment. "He's always been such a nice, understanding guy, I don't understand what got into him."

Duo snorted, not even trying to hold back his distaste. "Oh for fuck sakes. Wake up bro, John is a fucking asshole and he has always been an asshole."

Solo sighed like he couldn't believe that Duo were that thick. "Not this again. Don't you think it's a bit childish to hang on to all that. We were kids and we pulled a few pranks on you, so what? Let it go already."

Duo twitched as he glared at his brother, feeling exposed when no one did anything to stand by him, yet again. "Yeah, so what? No. Never mind, I don't give a shit what you think, but you better tell him to stay the fuck away from Wufei and I or I'm going to beat the shit out of him." He got up and shoved the chair back under the table. "I'll be in Anna's room." With that he turned and walked away.

It was so typical for his family to not take him seriously, thinking that he was just holding grudges for childish injustices. It was like no matter what happened he would always be the middle son, the one who always fucked up and no one believed.

But this was different, this time John crossed the line and pulled Wufei into their little feud. That was unforgivable. John better stay away from the both of them or he was going to bring hell down on his ass. Maybe he would bring his friends, a couple of batches and some whiskey. They could have one god damned party over it, hillbilly style. He could just imagine Matt's reaction if he told him, not to mention Trowa, Jack and Tris. They would rip the fucker to pieces.

When he arrived outside Anna's partly opened door, he had to lean against the wall to collect himself. He was so angry that he was shaking and he took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm down. It wouldn't do to scare the children, no matter how much he disliked being around them for longer periods of time.

If being in the back of a car with several of them taught him anything, it was that he just did not have the psychological strength to handle children and as angry as he was right now, he had a hard time believing that he could manage to relax enough to fall asleep.

He could hear Wufei's voice from inside the room. It sounded like he was telling them a story. Duo steeled himself. He could handle that. Kids were quiet while they were listening… mostly anyway. If he just stuck close to Wufei and let him handle the little monsters, everything would be fine.

With one last breath he pushed the door open all the way and walked in.

The first thing he noticed when he walked in was that Wufei, instead of sitting on the bed with the children, were standing stiffly at the end of the bed, leaning against the side of it.

"Fuck, this is ridiculous." Duo muttered quietly as he crossed the room.

He placed a happy smile on his face as he came over to the bed. He made Heero move over from where he was lying sideways on the bed and sat down at the foot of it, facing the children. Wufei looked surprised since he knew that he rather wanted to stay as far away from them as he could. He looked even more surprised when Duo grabbed a hold of his waist and pulled him down in his lap. The children giggled as they watched Wufei struggle into a more comfortable sitting position, clearly thinking that the adults were being silly. Duo decided not to help by making Wufei tip over, making the children screech in laughter. A strange sort of wrestling started where some of the children tried to save Wufei while Heero and Duo just wanted to make a mess. They all ended up in a giggling pile where Duo were lying flat on his back with several children and his not all that light lover sitting on top of him.

Duo pouted.

"Say you give up!" Heero demanded from where he was sitting on his chest.

"Never." Duo protested.

"Give up." Heero bounced a little, making it hard to breathe for a second.

"Never." Duo wheezed, feeling his face turning red.

Heero glared and thumped him in the forehead with his plastic gun.

"I think you should do as he says." Wufei grinned from where he was straddling his stomach behind Kate and Heero.

Duo stuck his tongue out at them. "Fine, I give up."

The mob yelled in triumph. Duo winced as Kate got up on her feet on top of him. He was pretty proud of his stomach muscles, but they had a bit of a hard time managing a full grown man and a jumping four year old. Wufei saved him by wrapping his arms around Kate and lifting the both of them off him.

After a bit of shuffling around everyone settled down and the demand for the end of the story was heard.

Duo was rolled over on his side with his back against the wall and Wufei sat back leaning back against his stomach. If it wasn't for the number of children on the bed, it would have been perfect.

"Now where was I?" Wufei asked as Anna snuggled up against his chest.

"The giant was coming." Heero filled in from the foot of the bed.

"Ah, yes. The tailor heard the trees breaking and felt the ground shake as the giant came closer and closer."

Duo smiled as he listened. He didn't recognize the story and he felt amazed by the number of stories that were stored in his lover's head. He knew that Wufei's grandmother had read Wufei a lot of them, but that didn't explained how Wufei managed to know them all by heart. He made a mental note to ask him later.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei was just about to end the fairy tale when Solo stepped in to inform them that dinner was ready. Quickly speeding through the part where the tailor got half the kingdom and the princess, Wufei ended the story. The kids complained a bit but a stern look from Solo made them hurry into the kitchen.

As the couple made their way to the door, Wufei paused and picked up a thin blue book from the floor.

"I used to love this book when I was a kid." He said fondly as he stroked a hand over the cover.

"Oh? What is it about?" Duo asked, looking at the spotted bunny on the cover from over Wufei's shoulder.

"It's about this bunny who didn't look like all the other bunnies, he was covered in dark spots while all the others were white."

It wasn't all that hard to make the connection and Duo had a feeling he was not going to like this.

"The other bunnies won't let him play with them because he looked so different and then when he was not allowed to come to a birthday party because they don't like spotted bunnies, he runs away."

Duo hugged Wufei tightly, not believing for a second that they were just talking about a children's book. The sad tone in Wufei's voice said it all and Duo wondered if Wufei ever tried to run away from it all.

Wufei gave him a soft smile over his shoulder. "Then he meets this other bunny, one that has just as many spots as he does. The other bunny takes him along to meet a bunch of other bunnies that also have spots and they play all day long."

Duo pushed some dark hair to the side and pressed a dry kiss to Wufei's neck.

"Then his mother and all the other white bunnies come along. They have been looking for him and are really happy that they found him. In the end all the bunnies have a huge party where all the bunnies, spotted and white play and have fun."

"That's a really nice story." Duo said softly, trying to stop his eyes from watering. He found himself hating people he had never met but knew existed.

Wufei sighed as he stroked the cover. "Yeah, it is… I used to read a lot of stories, all the time."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I didn't have that many friends while growing up, I was just too quiet and to different and the once I had were mostly over the age of sixty. There r-"

"Hey, are you guys coming?" Solo's voice called out, cutting Wufei off.

"We'll be right there." Wufei responded as he pushed the book in on an empty spot on a shelf. Duo took a tight hold of his lover's hand. He wanted to say something comforting and romantic about how they would always be together and how Wufei would never have to be alone again. But words wouldn't come, he just mumbled a low. "Love you."

Wufei smiled. "Love you too, come on. Let's go and get ourselves something to eat."

Duo smiled as he let himself be led away.

They walked in to the kitchen where everyone was ether in middle of putting the food on the table or finding a seat. Wufei suddenly stopped as a hand landed on his arm.

Solo's wife Violet smiled slightly, brushing a piece of long black hair away from her eyes. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Wufei hesitated before nodding and following her.

Violet had apparently been chosen to be the one to talk to Wufei. They had taken a few steps out into the hallways so Duo couldn't hear what they were talking about. But whatever it was, it appeared like it was working. Wufei were nodding to everything she said and gave her a happy smile before accepting a tight hug.

Duo breathed out a sigh in relief. Maybe things would calm down now.

Solo came up beside him and gave him an almost questionable shove with his shoulder. Duo responded by slapping him a little bit too hard on the back. Solo rolled his eyes, making Duo grin. And just like that they were fine again. They agreed to disagree about John and that there were no hard feelings between them.

They all sat down around the table and Duo found himself sitting between his lover and Solo. Wufei were talking happily with Violet and Duo felt most thankful for his sister-in-law for making him relax.

Duo accepted a salad bowl from Wufei and started lifting a healthy amount up on his plate. Solo leaned over towards him. "You looked really cozy with all those kids." His brother whispered in a teasing voice. "Just wait, anytime now you are going to be the one standing there with dirty diapers up to your elbows." He said, referring to a jab Duo had made on several occasion while Solo's kids were younger.

Duo gave him a look of disgust as he almost violently pushed the bowl into his brother's hands. "I don't think so."

"What ever you say number two." Solo snickered as he put the bowl down and turned to wipe Heero's running nose with his napkin.

Duo resisted the urge to stick his tongue out. Totally ignoring all earlier thoughts about small dark eyed angels, Duo swore to never become a parent. They were all insane.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N

My new years promise was that I was going to get better at responding to my reviews. It's not that I don't love all of them, it's just an old fear that gets in the way. As you probably all know, English is not my first language and my spelling/grammar has always been, to put it lightly, bad. When I write my stories I can rely on my beta to take care of me but when it comes to reviews, I'm on my own. But it stops now. I've been very inspired by reviewers who concurs their own fear of miss spelling to leave me reviews. If they can do that, I must be able to get off my ass and respond. So from now on, all reviews will be answered.

Want to give me something to respond to? Hint, hint. XD

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(There will be two more chapters after this before the end. If there is something you want to see more of, then now is the time to tell me.)


	16. The Bingo Hall's Gay Poster Child

The Bingo halls gay poster child

A lot of people wanted John bashing, so we'll have some of that and Celtic Creature wanted "lovey dovey monkey sex." I live to serve :) … but since this is ffnet, you are going to have to follow the link on my profile page to read it.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo was alone when he woke up. Surprised he looked around the bedroom, checking the floor in case he had kicked his lover out of the bed... again. But his search was fruitless and he really was alone.

That has almost never happened since Wufei slept like the dead and Duo had a habit of wrapping himself around his bed partner. So on the rare occasions that Wufei woke up before he did, Duo would wake up when Wufei tried to pry himself free.

A quick look at his Batman clock told him that it was only seven in the morning, far too early to get up when you didn't have to. He came to the conclusion that his lover probably went to the bathroom so he rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. But when you were used to charing a bed with someone, it was very hard to sleep when you were alone. So when twenty minutes had passed and Wufei still wasn't back, he started to wonder. Reluctantly he rolled out off bed and got dressed.

As he closed his bedroom door behind him he paused as he heard a strange swishing sound, like when someone jumps off a trampoline. It was gone as soon as he heard it, then everything was quiet again. Shaking his head, he decided that he must have heard wrong, there were no trampolines out here, especially during the winter.

With heavy steps he made his way down the stairs, putting extra weight in his feet as if to signal to the world that he was not pleased with it. He wanted to be in bed and he wanted Wufei with him.

The stair creaked in protest under him, almost masking the swishing sound. Duo stopped to listen, but once again, everything was quiet. With a low grumble he kept walking.

The first thing he noticed when he came down the stairs was the lack of footwear standing by the front door. There were several puddles of melted snow on the floor but only one pair of boots. His boots.

"What the hell?" Duo muttered to himself. What was everyone doing at seven in the morning?

There was only one thing to do. He put his clothes on and went outside. He stopped on the porch, looking around. It was a cloudy day, not a slice of sky anywhere just a light gray color spread all over. How depressing.

His own and his parents car was still standing on the drive way but so was Tres and Solo's cars. He frowned in though. What could possibly get his two brothers out of bed and here this early? This whole thing was getting really strange.

Everything was quiet and there was not a trace of anyone around.

For a moment, Duo felt like he was the last man on earth. Like every living soul disappeared while he was sleeping and he now was doomed to walk around all alone. Then, like a angel chorus, he heard his lover's laughter in the distance.

He stepped off the porch, sinking down in the knee high snow. With much will he forced his feet through the thick snow, making his way around the house.

On the other side, Duo had to close his eyes before opening them again. No, he wasn't seeing things, there really was a catapult standing in the backyard.

"No way." He whispered as he watched his previously lost family members.

His father and his brothers were holding the catapult arm down while Wufei was hunched over, adjusting something on the side of it. His mother was rolling big boulder of snow that she was lining up next to it. As he watched, his mother lifted one of the lumps up into the shallow basket on top of the trowing arm.

"Everyone stand back." Wufei shouted, a second later his father unleashed the arm, making the snow fly high, up over the lawn, disappearing into the forest.

A loud cheer was heard. They were clearly excited over the snow throwing.

"I blame Mythbusters for this." Duo mumbled, rubbing his glove covered hand over his face.

His mother was the first to catch sight of him.

"Hi baby cheeks." She greeted him happily as she made her way over to him in the deep snow.

"Hey mom." Duo looked out over the yard. "How did you get roped into this? You are usually the one who putts your foot down when they get going."

His mother laughed, a large cloud of vapor leaving her mouth."That would be because of Wufei. He's really enthusiastic and when he asks for something, you really can't help but do whatever he wants."

Duo snorted, pulling his beanie down further over his ears. "Glad I'm not the only one who can't say no to those eyes."

She chuckled with a fond smile.

Duo took a look over the snow covered lawn where his brothers and Wufei was bent over the center of the catapult, trying to bend something to the side. "So Quatra was the only one who got away?"

"Oh no, she's here too."

"Where?"

"She's marking out where the snowballs landed." She said, pulling her gloves off before warming up her cold red cheeks with her hands.

Duo gave his mother a strange look. "So she's running around in the forest... looking for piles of snow?"

"Well, not really snow but the trackers we put in them. Look." She picked a small black box up from her pocket. "Tres made them himself."

Duo just stared like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You put trackers in the snowballs?"

"Yeah."

"Another thing they learned from the Mythbusters?" He groaned.

"I wouldn't know. I don't watch it."

"Duo!" His father called out from over by the catapult. "Give us a hand here."

With a sigh, Duo made his way over to help his father hold the arm down while Wufei and his brothers used a rusty pipe to adjust a large metal spring. "So this is your latest project then." He said to his father as he leaned over the arm, using his weight to hold it down.

"Well actually, it's Wufei's project. It was his idea from the start." The older man responded from where he was doing the same next to him.

Duo sighed as he looked over at Wufei who was more or less crawling down under the catapult. "Well of course it is."

"I think we need a bigger beam in the bottom." Wufei said as he shuffled his way back out.

His mother, who usually did not have much patience for these kind of things nodded. "I think I know where we can find one, I'll give my father a call."

As it happened, his grandfather did have a beam in his garage and Wufei volunteered the two of them to come get it.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Dark eyes looked up at him from the edge of the knitted hat.

Duo wasn't really in the mood for it but he just could not say no.

With a soft sigh he nodded. "Give me a couple of minutes to eat and I'll be right back."

"Okay." A kiss and a smile later, Duo was left alone in the snow while the rest of the family started taking the catapult apart, trying to figure out how to make it better.

"God, this Mythbuster madness is going to be the death of me." Duo muttered as he turned and walked back into the house, not ready to face this challenge without breakfast in his stomach.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

His grandfather was quite happy to help them and together they loaded up the beam on the trailer fastened to the back of Duo's car.

"We are going to need some rope for this." His grandfather remarked, eying the part that was sticking out at the end of the trailer.

Duo nodded as he brushed saw dust off his gloves. "I got some in the back of the car." He mentally measured the wagon. "But I don't know if they are long enough to hold it."

"Don't worry about it, I have some in the basement." The old man said, waving them along towards the house.

They kicked the snow off their boots, then brushed them with the brush hanging by the door after his grandmother gave them the evil eye.

"I have the coffee ready and there are some buns and some cookies for you." She said as the door closed behind them.

"Thanks gran, but I don't think we have time for it." Duo said as he took a step to follow his grandfather who was walking towards the basement door.

The old woman waved his excuse away. "Nonsense, take your jacket off and come in and sit down."

His grandfather chuckled. "You go sit down boys, I'll go find the cords."

Duo sighed and hung his jacket up next to Wufei's. His lover was already done, clearly not even questioning who was going to win the argument.

His bangs were slightly electric as he pulled his beanie off and shoved it down his coat pocket.

"Duo, my heart, what happened?" His worried grandmother exclaimed when she saw the bandages on his head.

'Oh, shit.' Duo thought frantically. There were no way that he was going to give his grandmother the same story as he given his friends and his brothers. "I got drunk and fell over" was an reasonably and somewhat truthful explanation, one he was not going to tell her. And he was not telling her that he got drugged and almost raped in a bathroom at a gay club. Absolutely not. But at the same time, he hated to lie, especially to her.

"He fell." Wufei, his knight in shiny armor lied easily as he stepped up next to him.

The old woman made a low whining noise, like one would make when you find a kitten with a torn in it's paw. "Oh, poor dear, what happened?"

"There weren't enough grit on the side walk in town, he slipped and hit his head on a sharp corner." Wufei seemed to pull the lies out of thin air, delivering them with such certainty that Duo almost found himself believing him.

"Oh, I wish they would be more careful when they throw the grit, anyone could fall. Just last year my neighbor Margret slipped outside of the library. She broke her hip bone. It was awful, the poor girl had to have surgery."

Duo looked over at his lover who was making agreeing noises to his grandmother as she started listing all the people she knew who had fallen on ice over the years. He had a distinct feeling that Wufei knew exactly what he was doing and the change of subject was deliberate

'That manipulating little bastard.' He thought fondly as Wufei easily steered the subject far away from him.

They were led into the kitchen where his grandmother more or less force fed them buns and various cookies. It became clear that Wufei had a lot more practice with old people and how to deal with them then he did. His lover could easily follow what ever subject his grandmother 'call me granny deary' talked about while Duo sat between them like a lost puppy, looking from one to the other as they talked.

After a while, his grandfather came up from the basement with a large roll of cable hanging off his shoulder. Happy for the interruption, Duo got to his feet. He glanced down at his lover.

"You can manage without me." Wufei told him as he calmly sipped his coffee, leaning back in the hard wooded chair like he couldn't be more comfortable.

It was on the tip on his tongue to tell him that he was pretty sure that he would not be able to do anything without Wufei ever again. He was now hopelessly spoiled and he couldn't even imagine how he could accomplish anything without Wufei there.

But he didn't say it. Wufei was turning him into the biggest sap imaginable as it was, no need to make it worse. So instead he just nodded and went to help his grandfather.

Well outside, they secured the beam tightly, taking the time to make sure that it wouldn't slide backwards. The last thing they needed was for the thing to fall off.

He then went back inside to retrieve his boyfriend.

"Wufei, we are ready to go." Duo called out into the house.

A few seconds later, Wufei came around the corner from the kitchen. "Don't scream inside the house." His lover frowned, coming to a stop. "I'm not coming."

Duo blinked. "What? Why?"

"Your grandmother asked if I wanted to come with her and play Bingo."

Duo snickered. "Bingo?"

The other man gave him a disapproving look. "I happen to like Bingo, you can come with us if you want. Your grandmother would be happy to have you along, especially since we are leaving in two days."

Duo was just about to answer that he really did -not- want to come, but he got distracted by big pleading eyes. "Sure." He regretted it as soon as he said it.

Wufei grinned. "Great, I'll go get your grandmother. We can drop the beam off first before going back to town."

Duo nodded and his lover turned and went back into the kitchen

'God, I am so whipped.' Duo thought with a sigh as he closed the door.

-:-:-:-:-:-

They really made a commotion when they showed up at the bingo hall. Not only were they the only people there under the age of sixty, they were gay too. Duo really wasn't in the mood to be the bingo halls gay poster child, but it didn't look like he had much choice.

His grandmother was playing the part of a modern, open-minded woman to the fullest, dragging them around between all the tables, introducing 'her grandchild and his fiancé' to everyone she knew. Unfortunately, she knew more or less the entire town.

Wufei didn't look bothered at all by the attention, probably because he was more used to this age group and this kind of reaction. He just smiled and made small talk with all the little ladies.

Far too late, Duo realized that Wufei had gotten himself another fag hag in his grandmother, and if he kept... flirting might not be the right word but it was close, he was going to walk out of this bingo hall with a lot more of them.

Duo hung back, trying not to attract any attention to himself as the two others worked the crowd. There were only so many times you could hear 'oh, you have gotten so tall since last time I saw you, I remember when-' before you started to feel like you were trapped in a horror movie.

When they finally made their way through the crowed, they took a seat at what his grandmother proudly proclaimed was her table. The unsteady plastic chair swayed slightly as he sat down. He really hoped that it wouldn't collapse underneath him. That would just be too much.

One hour later, Duo was losing his mind. He could not remember being this bored since his first four hour long statistic development lecture with Dr Pietrasik when he first started at the university. And listening to him was about as boring as watching paint dry. No, that was an insult, paint was a lot more fun.

"45 B." The old man on the small stage droned.

Duo sighed. God, he was so bored.

He started out by trying to pretend that he was having a good time to make his grandmother happy but it just got too much. It was so mind numbingly boring that he didn't know what to do with himself.

He couldn't even molest his lover because he was surrounded by old people, not to mention that his grandmother was sitting on the other side of the table.

" I 25."

'Kill me now.' Duo begged silently.

His Bingo stripes were long gone and much more appreciated in his grandmother's hands where all four stripes were managed effortlessly. He looked around the room and all the old people sitting bent over their own games, slowly doting the called out numbers. Up at the small stage were the bald, slightly over weight man who was running this show. He was wearing a washed out red and blue flannel shirt, pressed pants with suspenders, his cane leaning casually against the table with the bingo wheel. He eyesight clearly wasn't the best since he always hesitated before calling out the number. Duo suspected that the man couldn't actually see what was painted on those small balls and where instead randomly calling out number.

He startled lightly when a hand landed high up on his thigh. He looked down at the dark hand on his leg and over at Wufei. His lover didn't even spare him a glance, his whole attention stuck on the paper in front of him.

"G 51."

Wufei's fingers started to play with the inner seem of his pants, moving up and down over his thigh. The warmth of Wufei's hand seeped through his jeans, heating his skin. He shifted awkwardly, trying not to act like he was getting a hard on in the middle of the Bingo hall. He looked around quickly to make sure no one was looking, but everyone was far too focused on their stripes.

"B 11."

Wufei's hand moved up his thigh, rubbing the side of his groin. Duo breathed heavily through his nose, widening his legs. God damn it, Wufei was turning into such an exhibitionist.

"N 36."

Wufei calmly placed a dot over the right number as his other hand settled over Duo's crouch, squeezing him through his pants. Duo put his elbows down on the table, leaning forward as he tried not to pant.

"Duo, are you feeling all right?"

Wide eyed, Duo looked up and over his grand mother across the table.

"Fine." He replied shortly, in a slightly high pitched tone. Wufei's thumb nail moved slowly up over the metal teeth of his zipper. God, he was hard, sitting at the same table as his grandmother. He was going to kill Wufei for this.

The old woman clearly didn't believe him. "You don't look fine."

Wufei turned in his chair with a light frown "I agree, maybe you should get some air."

Duo stared in disbelief at Wufei's concerned looking face at the same time at slim fingers were moving down over his balls.

"I- no." He really did not want to stand up right now.

Wufei took his coat from the back of his chair before hanging it over his arm. "Come on, let's go." Wufei wrapped his coat covered arm around his waist, covering his problem. "We'll just walk it off. He'll be fine."

In shock, Duo let himself be lead towards the exit.

Wufei calmed all the worried ladies that they past on their way, telling them that Duo still got a little dizzy from his fall and that he just needed some air. Falling was apparently something that all old people could relate to and no one questioned it.

They left the Bingo hall, closing the door carefully behind them. Duo took a step towards the front door but Wufei pulled him in opposite direction. The door to the bathroom was opened, then seconds later, closed behind them. Duo found himself pushed up against the wall next to an old green toilet from the seventies. Wufei leaned away from him briefly to lock the door, then he was back, touching him all over.

"You are the devil." Duo breathed. "I can't believe that you played the noble, concerned boyfriend with your hand on my cock."

"What can I say, you bring out the worst in me." Wufei grinned as he unzipped Duo's pants.

"More like the kinkiest," he panted.

"Mmmm." Wufei hummed, his hand worming it's way down Duo's underwear as he licked the underside of his jaw.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

His grandmother looked up as they sat back down. "Do you feel better now?"

Duo felt like he had 'I fucked my lover in the bathroom' tattooed on his forehead. "Yeah" He choked out, ignoring the way Wufei quickly dipped a finger in under the edge of his pants, scratching his lower back with a blunt nail.

"He got a lot better as soon as he got to move around for a bit." Wufei replied easily as he accepted the new Bingo stripes that she was holding out to him.

Duo glanced over at Wufei in warning who only looked back at him with a innocent smile.

"That's good, I was worried. He looked so sick there for a moment."

Wufei arranged the stripes in front of him. "Well, some exercise and he was coming down from it."

Duo felt a blush spread

"Well you missed out, I won a fruit basket." She said proudly.

Wufei shone up. "Really? Congratulations."

"Well you still have a chance to win something." She said with a smile before turning to her grandson. "Do you want a Bingo strip Duo?" His grandmother asked holding out one of the many colorful games that she must have bought while they were gone.

Duo really didn't but god knows what Wufei would do if he was starting to look bored again.

"Ah, thank you." he mumbled, accepting the paper.

They settled down as the half blind man wandered back out on the stage and the game started again.

A few minutes into the game a soft thump was heard. "Oops." Wufei whispered as his dubber rolled off the side of the table. Considering how slow it was rolling, Duo was sure that it was done on purpose.

Wufei pushed his chair back and crawled in under the table. It was with morbid excitement that Duo waited, feeling both slightly turned on and scared out of his mind to see what Wufei was going to do. He could feel Wufei brush against his thigh and knee.

Sweat broke out on his back and he gripped the edge of his seat. Dear god, what if the madman actually decided to try to blow him under the table?

Wufei put a hand on his thigh, caressing it slowly before using it as a support as he got back up on his feet.

"Found it." He announced quietly as he sat back down on his chair.

Duo stared.

"What?" Wufei said innocently as he marked the three numbers he missed while under the table.

Duo leaned closer. "Tease. Such a damned tease." He whispered.

"Should I stop? In that case I just might decides to sit down on the other side of the table after the next break so that I can slip my feet up in your lap." Wufei told his quietly, eyes on his bingo stripe, looking like he was making a remark about the weather.

Duo felt his face flame. By god, he never blushed this much before he meet that quiet guy sitting in the back of the lecture hall. "You wouldn't."

Wufei just smiled slowly.

Duo changed tactic. "Please don't."

"Bingo!" Wufei called out at the same time as he rubbed his foot over Duo's leg.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo didn't win anything. Most likely because he couldn't focus on the game with Wufei distracting him every three minutes.

Wufei won a weave rag mat in a hideous green color that was going to fit in perfectly with Wufei's equally hideous couch while his grandmother won four fruit baskets in different sizes. Duo considered the end of it all to be the best price of them all because he was really looking forward to some alone time with his lover who had a thing or two coming.

Unfortunately his grand mother wasn't so keen on letting him and her new best friend go just yet so she talked them in to coming inside for lunch. But there was just one big problem that Duo noticed as soon as the house came into view. John's car was parked on the drive way.

Duo drummed his fingers against the steering wheal. "Um, gran. I don't think this is going to be such a great idea."

"And why is that?" She asked as she pulled on her gloves.

"Because John is here." He nodded his head towards the large shiny car standing on the drive way. In the corner of his eye he saw Wufei go stiff. "We don't... get along all that well."

The old woman frowned in disapproval. "Well in my house you are going to have to."

Duo shook his head. "No, we-"

"We'd love to come." Wufei cut in from the backseat.

Duo turned to look at his lover in surprise. "We do?"

"Yes, it was very nice of you to invite us."

"My pleasure deary, come on now boys, let's go in." With that she unfastened her seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

"We'll get the things in the back." Duo said, giving Wufei a look.

The two lovers met at the back of the car. "Why?" He whispered as he opened the hatch.

Wufei wouldn't meet his eyes. "Because since I've started dating you, I've actually started to face my fears instead of running and hiding from them. So if I'm going to have to lie my way through the entire evening, I will." Wufei whispered urgently as he lifted one of the big fruit baskets out. "We are going to go in there and we are going to play nice. We are not going to let ourselves get hurt by anything he says and we wont let him bait us into doing something stupid." The last part was delivered with a pointed look at Duo. "Okay?"

Duo was pretty sure that Wufei wasn't asking him if he was in on it, he was asking if he understood. He nodded anyway.

Wufei gave him small smile before he with arms full of fruit, walked over towards his new faghag who was waiting for them.

Lifting out the rest of his grandmothers prices, he closed the hatch. "Brave fool." He muttered as he followed them.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Fey!"

"Hi, Matthew, Sandra. Nice to see you again." Wufei smiled down at the two children who greeted him as soon as he stepped through the door.

As Wufei stopped to listen to what ever it was that the kids found so important, Duo walked further in to the house. The first thing he saw when he walked in to the living room was John who sitting with their grandfather and Johanna on the sofa. Damn, if looks could kill. Duo resisted the urge to smile when he saw the large bruise stretched out over John's face. Yeah, he got him good.

A soft touch of his braid informed him of Wufei's presence. For a second they all just stopped, as if waiting to see who was going to make the first move.

Then Johanna got up from her seat next to John, straightening her elegant wool shirt and walked over to Wufei who looked a little bit worried.

"Wofei." She said, sounding relived. "It's good to see you again."

A bright smile spread over Wufei's face as the man relaxed. "You too."

"I am really sorry about... the last time. John as been a bit high strung over work lately and you just got caught in it."

Wufei discreetly kicked Duo's leg in warning, clearly sensing that he was about to say something. "It's alright, no harm done."

Duo got another kick as he opened his mouth.

"Duo, why wont you go have a seat with your grandfather." Wufei said with a somewhat stiff smile on his face, giving him a look.

Duo suppressed the urge to say 'yes master.'

"Come on Wofei, let's see if Gran wants some help with dinner." Johanna said, linking her arm with Wufei before giving John a look as in warning.

'At least I'm not the only one who is whipped here.' Duo thought in satisfaction as he pulled out a chair from the dinning room table, pulling it over to the sofa where his grandfather was seated.

"Did you have fun?" The old man teased pushing his small round glasses up on his nose.

Duo snorted as he sat down, straddling the chair. "I thought I was going to die of boredom but I must admit that it had it's upsides."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, a very grateful boyfriend." Duo smiled innocently.

His grandfather chuckled while John looked like he was about to throw up. "A young love, I remember how that was like."

This time it was Duo's turn to look sick. "Please, I don't want to know."

The white haired man leaned back with a slow smile. "Well, your grandmother was actually quite the looker in her days, legs that just went on and o-"

Duo didn't hear more as he slapped his hands over his ears. "I did not just hear that."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Over the next hour, Duo perfected his skills in ignoring people. John was pulling out every trick he had, trying to get to him. Duo couldn't care less about most of the things John said, while others he wanted to cut John's tongue off for saying. Things about Wufei were the hardest to overlook but he managed. He could tell that John was getting aggravated by his lack of reaction, delivering meaner and sharper barbs the longer they sat there. Duo just took a deep breath, concentration on how proud Wufei would be if he didn't react. Thank god his grandfather was there, because god knows what John would do if he wasn't.

"Lunch is ready!" His grandmother called from the kitchen. The tree men got to their feet, heading towards the kitchen.

"Duo. A word." John bit off as their grandfather disappeared out from the living room. Duo could hear his foot steeps fading away down the hallway.

Not liking where this was going but too proud to ignore it, Duo stopped and walked over to his cousin who was leaning stiffly against the wall.

John grabbed a hold of his sweater and slammed him sideways in to the wall, making the photo frames on it jump. "Listen here you little faggot. I want you and that pedo to stay the fuck away from me and mine."

Duo bared his teeth, trying, but failing to pry himself loss. "Gladly, I wouldn't want to catch anything from the likes of you."

"Oh, that's rich." John spat. "I know what you are and I know all about your legs being spread around here. God knows what you have picked up." John looked over his shoulder towards the hallway, checking that they were alone. "Everyone else might like to pretend to be accepting but I will not stand quiet and let shit like this go on."

Duo started to curse him out but got cut off as John slammed him in to the wall again.

"Shut the fuck up you freak. Now is the time to collect your bitch and get the fuck out of here. I don't want to ever see any of you sickos around here any more, especially close to the children. I have a lot of friends with the police and I can make you go away for a very long time. Who's going to care about two college fudge packers who got stopped for drug possession? Maybe with some child pornography in the trunk?"

"You sick bastard." Duo breathed, knowing that his cousin was telling the truth. John had several friends both among the police and higher up. All he needed was for one of them to plant something in his car and he was screwed.

"Anything to get rid of the garbage. Now run little faggot, and take that lowlife pedophile with you."

"John Maxwell! I did not just hear you say those words!"

The two men turned as one and looked at the pissed off old woman coming through the doorway. Duo had never seen his grandmother so angry in his life and he was really happy that it wasn't directed at him.

Pale blue eyes turned to him. "Duo, go help your fiancé in the kitchen while I have a word with John." She said in a tight, commanding voice.

"Right." Duo replied and then he was gone out the door.

He tried to repress the urge to grin but it was a losing battle. A life long feeling of injustice was melting away inside of him. This was for every time Duo would get a tongue lashing for starting a fight, for every time someone rolled their eyes when he told them about John's bullying, for all the nasty comments, for all the anxiety he felt before every family gathering, for Wufei.

He whistled happily as he strutted into the kitchen. He focused his eyes on his lover who was preparing a salad together with Johanna, Matthew hanging off his pants leg.

"Hi." He kissed Wufei's cheek before wrapping his arms around that slim waist from behind, hugging him tightly.

Wufei laughed as the air was squeezed out off his lungs. "What got you in such a mood?"

"Mmm. Tell you later." He grinned, feeling like he was vibrating in happiness. His life could not get much better then this.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N – Well, that was it. Finally. Please make me happy by leaving me a word about what you thought about the chapter. Please?

Now, I have an announcement to make. _The next chapter will be the last._ Yes, Wallflower is almost over and the boys are going back home.

The thing is that I thought I would give all the people who's been following this fiction a chance to tell me what they want to see before the end. A sort of thank you for reading.

The last chapter is done, in exception of a blank space in the middle. So, you tell me. What should happen that afternoon? (This also means that if I don't get any suggestions, I'm going to be very stuck. Ooops, this might not be one of my better ideas)

So, I hope to hear from you, have a nice day.

Oh, and a bit of pimping. If you haven't, go read StandingOnTheRooftops 2x5 fiction, I've just read the beginning but I already love it.

_**Cristalake**_ – There were just a bit of angst fluff, but there will be more later :) _**S u n d a e MORNiiNG**_ – I swear, I get all star eyed and fluffy every time I read your review. I'm really grateful that you ignored all the awkwardness and wrote it. Thank you, very, very, very much. _**Cinnamon Selkie**_ - Now you I have already slobbered all over a couple of times XD but I still adore your reviews. Lots of love to you :) _**Julianna Edwards**_ – LOL Well about the eggs. You were eating a egg while reading about them and I'm going to have a lot of eggs for lunch in a minute(Oh the irony). This for the simple reason that our refrigerator stopped working a few hours ago and we now have twelve eggs that we have to use. Mmmm, eggs. You just have to find the silver lining in everything :) _**kidishcaresh**__–_ I think we all just want to roll around in Duo's hair while going Awwwww! XD _**ChaseTheMorning**_– Yeah, there are far too many idiots in this world. Send some love to your friend would you, she's lucky to have a friend like you :) _**StandingOnTheRooftops**_– I'm pretty sure that Duo would have a heart attack if Trowa started dating his little sister XD Oh! And I just started reading your fiction. I can't believe I missed it! It fucking rocks! Well, so far I'm only on chapter 2 but I can tell that it's going to be great :D _**Ronin101**_– Hm, I'll see what I can do about an epilogue… I've been thinking a lot about it and I still haven't decided. I'll get back to you on that. What else? Oh, yeah, John got exposed, happy? :) _**princess**__ cythera _– Why thank you :) I will. _**philomina**__– Awwwwww! _So many pretty words that I feel like blushing :) Thank you and I'm sorry that the chapter ended so that you couldn't just read on and on. _**t**__**sukamei**__ – _The truth is out! Mahahaha! But I didn't even have to bring Wufei into it :) Sorry? _**Luvmecuzimcute**_ – Thank you. And about the bad grammar thing. I know I'm not alone, I just don't want to be one of them LOL! Well, not much I can do about it right now, but I try. Thank you for the sympathy. _**snowdragonct**_– My, my. Thank you, that was nice to hear. But on the other hand, I think French is a language that will kick anyone's ass. Including mine. _**PainfullyPassive**_– Oh believe me, the family knows about John now. There is no way that old granny is not going to raise hell over this XD _**Shogi**_– I've been talking so much to you that it feels a bit silly to answer a review that you wrote like eight months ago. Oooh well, I loved it, like always :D _**Hemiechi**_ – Well, I think you need to think about it like this. Who is Wufei without the family honor and the war? He would obviously not be the same. This is who I think Wufei would be if he grew up without having something to be proud off and fight for. He still has a temper and he can give as god as he gets -when he choose to do it. Then we look at Duo. Who is he when he, instead of worrying about starving or getting killed, only has to worry about his personal life? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell would become paranoid if my lovers kept cheating on me over and over again. So yes, they are OOC, but for a reason.


	17. The Teapot adventure

So the last chapter kind of turned into two… ops :)

* * *

Chapter 17 – The Teapot adventure.

* * *

The next morning, Duo woke up hating himself for forgetting to pull the blinds. The sun was shining relentlessly in his eyes, making him uncomfortable and too hot, but at the same time he didn't want to move.

He lazily turned his head towards his lover, a smile breaking out on his face despite the crappy wakening. Wufei was lying on his side, pushed up against the wall with his hair falling all over the place. He looked like an angel. A very sexy angel.

Duo reached out and stroke a finger over thin eyebrows, down over the side of the relaxed face and over soft lips. He paused to press his finger against a soft bottom lip, watching in fascination as a pink tongue flicked out to brush against it.

Blurry, dark eyes slowly opened and meet his.

"Mmm?" Was the questioning sound that vibrated against his fingertip.

"Morning." He said softly, letting his finger move over Wufei's cheek.

Wufei didn't respond, he just nudged Duo's palm with his nose. Duo felt a shiver of raw desire race trough him as warm air tickled his skin.

Wufei really was far too pretty for his own good and Duo wanted nothing more then to ravish him.

He watched his lover as a large yawn split his face. It immediately made Duo think about thinks you could put in that open orifice.

Wufei, totally unaware of the thoughts going through Duo's head, pushed a hand deep down under the cover, scratching his front.

Duo felt faint as his blood started flooding certain parts of his body.

Wufei looked so good and Duo started to move in closer, intending to insinuate a (quiet!) lovemaking. What better way to start a day was there? The cover was falling off Wufei's shoulder, showing off smooth, dark skin. Duo felt his mouth starting to water.

The sexy, sleep ruffled angel opened his mouth. "I think we need to change your bandage." He said and pushed off the duvet to sit up.

Duo's shoulders dropped with a disappointed pout. That really wasn't what he wanted to hear.

Wufei un-gracefully climbed over him, unknowing or uncaring of Duo's erection. Duo made a frustrated sound in protest as Wufei walked away from him and towards the medical supplies lying in a neat pile in the bookshelf next to a worn batmobile.

He didn't want any bandages, he wanted lazy morning sex!

"Sit up would you." Wufei told him as he brought the things back over to the bed.

Reluctantly, Duo sat up on the edge of the bed, making the cover pool over his neglected cock.

He was happy that he at least got to ogle Wufei a little bit as his lover had only slept in his boxers and was now putting his knee up on the bed to get closer to the bandage. Wufei's perked nipples were right in Duo's line of sight. At least some things were going his way.

Opening his mouth, tongue ready, he was just about to lean forward when Wufei pulled at the side of the bandage. Duo winced, biting back a pained noise.

"Sorry, almost there, just a bit more." His lover mumbled. Then, with one last sting, the bandage came off.

Duo breathed out a sigh in relief. "How does it look?"

Wufei made a thoughtful sound and soft fingertips moved around the wound, over the shaved area. "Pretty good, there is some pus, but just a little. Let me just clean it up a bit and I'll put a new one on."

Duo could hardly wait until he got to remove the stitches. His only problem then would be how to comb over his 'bald spot'

"Do you want some pain killers?" Wufei asked, looking up from the pile of medical equipment.

Duo wanted to decline on principal, but since he knew that Wufei could see straight through him, he forced himself to think about it. "It doesn't really hurt, it just aches a bit."

"Then take a pill. It might get worse after I've been poking on it." Wufei said, handing him the pill bottle.

Duo sighed but took one, swallowing it down with the water that Wufei placed, probably for this exact purpose on the night stand.

Wufei reworded him with a long stroke over his braid before opening up a package of alcohol swabs.

"I can do it myself." Duo tried to protest, reaching for the swab.

Wufei batted his hands away. "Sit still."

With a sigh, Duo did as he was told. Wufei really was the only one he would allow to do this. He could take care of himself and he hated to be fussed over. Duo was fully aware of the fact that he was the worst patient in the world but didn't see any reason to change.

Wufei put his other knee up on the bed to reach better. "Tell me if it hurts."

'Like hell.' Duo thought, he wasn't some whiny wimp who- "Aooow!" He complained loudly.

"Sorry." Wufei apologized, blowing softly on the cut on his head, like you would do to a child who scrapped a knee.

Duo felt like pouting. It didn't -really- hurt, he just couldn't hid anything when Wufei was involved. His lover really was hell on his masculinity.

Wufei easily fastened the new bandage and bent down to kiss his forehead. "There, better?"

Duo nodded, a leer breaking out on his face. "Thank you doctor, now where is my lollipop for being a good boy?"

Wufei looked confused. "Well, I don't have any candy but- WHOH!"

He's words got cut of as Duo tackled him down on the bed, pulling his boxers off before his ass even hit the bed.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Later, when they got down stairs, they barely had time to eat breakfast before Duo was informed that he was volunteering to chop up firewood. He did the compulsory grumbling that you did when your parents made you do something that you didn't want to do, before going out into the cold morning air.

It really was just his luck for the saw machine to break down, so he didn't have any choice but to swing that heavy, old axe. Over and over again.

Duo placed another log on the stump. He made sure it was standing straight and wouldn't tip over, before swinging the axe. The wood split with a sharp crack.

He brushed some sweat off is forehead, looking up at the cloud free sky. It was a really nice day and they should take the chance to do something. Maybe he could dig some old skies out off the garage and take Wufei out on a ski trip. He had a quick though about his beloved snowboard but he had a feeling Wufei wasn't one for going down hills.

Another log fell for his chop and he bent down to receive the pieces.

His nose was running a bit and he dried it up with the back of his glove. Despite the shinning sun it was still awfully cold. If they were lucky it might get better later on in the afternoon.

Log after log fell for his axe. It had been years since he had chopped wood and his arms ached like mad when he was finally done. But he did feel pleased when he looked at the neat pile of firewood lying in the shed.

He closed the door behind him, securing it with the old nail bent into a hasp.

The sweat on his body was growing cold, making him shiver. He smiled happily at the thought of different ways to get warm again, all of them involving Wufei and lack of clothes in one way or the other.

He hurried inside, barely pausing to kick the snow off his boots outside the door. "Hi, mom." He said absently to his mother who was carrying the vacuum cleaner through the hallway towards the living room.

The house smelled heavenly of new baked buns and he was tempted to take a detour into the kitchen. His father's cinnamon buns were the best, but he had more delicious things waiting for him.

He kicked his boots off, shoving his glove and hat into the pocked of his jacket before carelessly throwing it on top of the coat rack. He was about to run up the stairs but his mother stopped him with a stern look.

"Duo, hang your coat up properly. We are having visitors today and I don't want the house looking like a mess." She complained with a displeased frown.

Duo forced himself to go back. "Who's coming?"

"Howard, George and Carrie are coming over for lunch."

Duo grinned. "Professor G is coming too? I though he only left the house once a year."

"Don't call him that, you know how much it annoys him."

"Why do you think I do it?" Duo replied with an impish smile.

His mother shook her head, "Impossible child."

"Have you seen Wufei?"

"Up stairs, I sent him up with a pile of your things that you had spread all over the house like a sprinkler system."

Duo ignored the jab. "Thanks."

He started walking up the stairs, only to pause when he heard something that made his blood freeze. Listening closer he prayed that he heard wrong.

Quatra giggled loudly from inside her bedroom further down the hall. "That's perfect, and then some kissing."

"Nah, I think we should save the kissing for later, get them a bit hot and bothered first." He heard his lover say.

The two laughed and Duo had a very bad feeling about what ever it was they were doing. He took the rest of the stair in two long leaps, hurrying towards the bedroom in the end of the hallway.

"What is going on here?" Duo asked coldly as he pushed the door open all the way, making it slam into the wall.

"Nothing!" Quatra yelped from her seat in front of the computer at the same time as Wufei happily replied, "Porn writing."

Duo glared on his lover who was lying on his stomach on top of Quatra's pink bed cover. "You better not breath a word about our sex life to my little sister."

Wufei gave him a strange look. "Why not?"

For a second, Duo could only gap. "Why?! Be- we- It's just not done! Taboo, ever heard of the word?! Something you do not speak about to teenage girl, especially teenage girls related to me!"

Wufei frowned, bundling up a pink, unicorn shaped pillow in under his chin. "I'm not going to give her any details, just some pointers."

"No!"

Wufei sighed. "Duo, you are being unreasonable."

"I'm not!"

"She just needs some help to get going and who better to help her than a gay guy?"

Duo was getting desperate, he did not want his little sister to have any sort of insight to what went on in their bedroom... or any other place for that matter. "You better not tell her anything or I'll -I'll- I'll withhold sex!"

Wufei gave him a shocked, wide eyed look, like he couldn't believe that Duo could even think about making such a threat. Duo was just as shocked, he wasn't even sure if he was bluffing or not. He honestly didn't know if he would be able to keep his hands to himself or even worse, say no when Wufei got into one of his crazy exhibitionist moods.

Wufei rolled over to sit up, holding his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Okay you win, I won't tell her."

Quatra whined in protest but Wufei just shook his head. "You don't gamble with prices that high."

"You're such a ass, Duo." Quatra grumbled. "I'm telling mom."

"You're telling mom that I didn't want you to know about my sex life?" Duo leered. There was no way that she would do it.

Quatra got a hard, stubborn glint in her eyes as she stormed past him out the door. "Mom! Duo is bullying Wufei!" She shouted as she hurried down the stairs, heavy steps echoing throughout the house.

Duo turned to lean out off the room. "I'm not!" He protested loudly.

"Duo Maxwell, you be nice to your fiancé!" His mother shouted from downstairs.

"I am!" He tried to defend himself.

"No, he's not!" His sister screamed.

"Yes, I am!"

"No, he's being mean and telling Wufei what to do!" Quatra's shrieking voice cut through the air.

"Duo, get down here!" His mother called out impatiently.

"I am not being mean!" Duo felt like he was ten, resisting the urge to stomp his foot.

"Do any of you realize that I'm standing right here?" Wufei snickered as he came to a stop next to him, leaning on the other side of the door frame.

"Then you can tell them." Duo pouted, crossing his arms.

"I don't know... Maybe I am feeling a bit bullied." Wufei teased, tapping his bottom lip with a finger.

Duo shifted his jaw as he heard his mother call for him again. "Go downstairs and tell them that I am not bulling you and I'll give you a blowjob in the car. While it's parked outside the store where anyone could see us."

Wufei swallowed thickly, eyes going wide.

Duo leered. "If you hurry, I might even let you take down my hair."

For half a second it, looked like Wufei stopped breathing, then he dashed towards the stairs "It's okay, Suz! Duo isn't doing anything!"

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Two hours later, the guests started to arrive.

Duo smiled happily when he saw his colorful uncle stomp into the kitchen. Doorbells and knocking had never been Howard's thing; he preferred to just walk right in until he encountered someone.

"Hey, Kid." The old man rumbled happily.

"You do realize I'm about to turn twenty-seven, right?" Duo replied with a mock glare as he left Wufei's side to greet his favorite uncle.

"You'll always be seven to me." Howard tease, ruffling his hair.

"And you'll always be mentally unstable to me." A gruff voice spoke out from the other side of the door way. "My god Howard, can you not go anywhere without being in somebody's way?" His uncle George pushed his way past his brother and walked over to Duo's mother. "Suzanna, lovely to see you as always. I brought a bottle of wine that I thought would be fitting."

Duo bit back a snort as he watched Howard do a soundless, but impressive imitation of his stiff brother.

Howard grinned and poked him with his elbow. "Come on kid; let's go before the crazy old bat turns back to us."

Duo followed his uncle into the living room where the older man sank down on the couch, kicking his legs up on the coffee table.

"We didn't get much time to catch up during the gathering." Howard began, turning his head towards him. "How's school going?"

Duo sat down next to him, lifting one leg up to rest against his knee. "Pretty good, some things are worse than others but I've made it so far."

"Good, good, never doubted for a second." Howard muttered, sounding pleased.

In the tensed paused that followed, Duo distracted himself by playing with a broken nail that he had obtained sometime during the day.

"You'll let me know if you need anything right?" Howard asked gruffly. "I know we had our ups and downs but you know that you can come to me, no matter what, right?"

Duo nodded, lifting his eyes up from his nail.

"That's good." He muttered, patting Duo's shoulder. "Hey kiddo, do an old man a favor and take the dogs out, would you? Didn't have time to do it before I left."

"How come you're only old when you want me to do something?" Duo teased, but he got to his feet without another word. Howard just chuckled, waving him off.

Duo popped his head into the kitchen. "Hey five-fly, I'm going to take Howard's dogs for a walk."

Wufei wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I suppose you want company." He said, starting to roll down the sleeves of his sweater.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Duo pointed out.

"I'll come." Wufei turned on the tap to wash his hands. "I don't think I'll be too much help in here right now."

Suz shook her head as she sat down next to Duo's uncle by the kitchen table. "No, it's going to be in the oven for about an hour, so be sure to be back before that."

They nodded their agreement before walking over to the hallway to get dressed.

"Seriously Wu, you don't have to come, I usually go alone so it's no problem." Duo said as his zipped up his thick jacket, checking that his hat and gloves were shoved down into the pockets.

Wufei pulled his knitted hat down over his ears. "If I can take Teddy out four days a week I can stand one walk in the woods."

Duo sighed and opened the door. "Well if you're sure."

The sun was still shining and, while it was warmer then the last time he had been outside, it was sill cold. It had snowed during the night and there was a soft, fluffy layer on top of the harder, frozen snow. It made low creaking noise as they walked across the driveway.

"Let me introduce you to the gang." He said, walking over to the four dogs that were all tied to the back of Howard's old van. They greeted them with wagging tails and happy barks.

"That's Millie." Duo pointed at the large Doberman, who opened her eyes to glance up at him at the sound of her name, then closed them when she realized that he didn't want anything. Duo took a second to push the over enthusiastic dog of his chest before introducing her. "The Golden Retriever is Cassie and the Labrador Izzy and this-" He bent down to pick up a small black and white bullterrier who grinned happily, wagging his tail rapidly. "-is Teapot."

Wufei blinked, looking at the wiggling dog. "Why is it named Teapot?"

Duo scratched the dog under his chin. "When he was a puppy he was -_really_- scared of the water boiler. Because when it was done, it made a really loud, scary noise. So every time they got the teapot out, he knew what was going to happen and ran away."

"Didn't you?" Duo cooed at the dog, which happily licked the underside of his jaw with his wide sloppy tongue.

Wufei grimaced in distaste but didn't say anything, totally ignoring the two dogs at his feet who were trying to get his attention.

Duo put the wiggling dog back on the ground and reached out to un-tie the leaches from the hock. "You can take Teapot and Izzy." He held out the two leashes, which Wufei reluctantly accepted. "Izzy and Cassie are a bit too excited to walk next to each other; they have a habit of pulling the leash.

"I noticed." Wufei muttered as he bent down and took a hold of the lose skin in the back of Izzy's neck, pulling her away from Cassie where the two dogs were trying to do some kind of wild wrestling.

Patting himself down, Duo found his sunglasses and pushed them up on his nose, looking up towards the forest further away. "I usually take them up through the forest and over to a field where they can run around for a bit."

"Sounds good." Wufei pulled the leash and glared down at Izzy who had been making a new move to jump on its friend. The Lab happily waved her tail, clearly not intimidated.

They went down the drive way, turning left when they got down to the road, and walked away from civilization, toward the unknown wilderness.

Duo was amused to see that even though Wufei claimed to dislike the dogs, he had perfect control of them. Not even Izzy, who was known for being a pain in the ass to everyone but Howard, was giving him any problems. The two dogs walked calmly next to the disinterested man, tails wagging like crazy.

Duo, on the other hand, didn't have it as easy. While Milli was old and didn't really do much but put one paw in front of the other, Cassie was being a pest. She was running back and forth, jumping up on the snow plowed up along the road sides, barking at everything and jumping up towards his face with happy yelps. The leash got caught in bushes, went in between Cassie's legs and almost tripped him on several occasions. He had to stop several times to get them lose.

Duo impatiently tried to get her to stop but without result. If anything, his tries only made it worse.

"Any ideas how to get her to stop?" Duo whined as he tried to unravel the two leashes in his hand

Wufei lifted an eyebrow. "Stop encouraging her?"

"I'm not encouraging her!" He protested as he pushed her paws down from his stomach.

Wufei clearly didn't believe him and kept walking.

Duo glared down at the dog. "I'm not encouraging you." He told her, but she just gave him a happy doggy grin and wagged her tail.

Duo sighed and jogged to catch up to his lover, much to Millie's disgruntlement who reluctantly hurried her steeps.

"Let's go up here." Duo said, pointing at the snow mobile track cutting through the snow walls on both sides of the road. "It goes all the way up to the lake where we went with the snow mobile before." Cassie was already on her way up the tracks but Duo held her back. "We're not going all the way up, the field is not all that far from here."

Wufei nodded, giving the leashes a slight thug to inform the dogs that they were changing direction.

"Walk on the tracks so you won't step through the snow" Duo recommended as he climbed up on the tightly packed snow.

"Right." Wufei said and followed him up the tracks. The dogs on the other hand, easily walked on top of the frozen surface of the snow. It got colder as they walked into the shadows of the surrounding forest. The sun was shining down at them between the snow covered branches but it gave them very limited amount of warmth.

There was a distant ruffle among the bushes further away and Izzy started barking in excitement.

"Shut up." Wufei ordered, pulling slightly on the leash. The large dog gave him a confused look but stopped barking.

"How do you do that?" Duo questioned as he took off his sunglasses to look at his lover.

Wufei shrugged. "I think they can tell that I don't like them so they know that I wouldn't mind seeing them all dead. So ,they know better than to misbehave."

Duo stared at his lover in disbelief but Wufei looked fully serious. "I swear to god, you are one of the strangest people I have ever met." He stated. "Trees shouldn't be cut down but dogs and drunken idiots should be."

"I can sympathize a lot more with cows then these slobbering beasts and I cut them up on a regular basis." Wufei muttered, glaring down at the grinning Teapot at his feet.

Duo laughed, stepping over a twig sticking up through the snow. "Maybe I should take you along to my aunt Carrie's, they have cows you know."

Wufei suddenly looked a lot more interested in the subject. "Really? Cool. If we have the time or we could always visit some other time, right? Maybe the next reunion?" He asked hopefully.

Duo grinned, as he always did when he was reminded that, yes Wufei was going to be around by the next reunion. "Of course. You like farms or something?"

Wufei shrugged. "Can't say that I've visited that many in my life but I kind of like cows."

Duo wrinkled his nose. "What's to like? They stand around and smell; that's it."

Wufei pulled Izzy's leash, making the dog run to catch up to them from where she had stopped to smell something in the snow. "I guess I've just listened to too many old women who grew up on farms." He wrinkled his nose as Izzy affectionately licked his hand and dried it off against his pants."They often talk about how calming it was to take care of them and how peaceful it was to get up at the crack of dawn to milk them." He smiled softly." I kind of want to find out if it's true."

"I'm sure Carrie will let you get up at dawn to help her milk them." He said in a patronizing tone, but Wufei just grinned.

"Great."

"So damn strange." Duo muttered. "Come on, we're turning in to the right here." He said, pointing to where the snowmobile tracks were split up further away.

They followed the second track further into the forest. The trees were younger here, growing closer together with naked sprigs shooting up through the snow.

A few hundred meters in, the forest gave way for a meadow. Duo blinked rapidly, trying to get used to the bright sun reflecting on the snow.

Unfortunately for them, the tracks were turning in another direction, leaving them no choice but to leave it. Duo stepped off it and immediately sank down to his thighs in the thick snow. He grumbled as he started to force his legs through the heavy mass. It wasn't far to the field, barely thirty meters, but it was still going to take a while.

"Having problems?" Wufei asked with a smirk. Duo pouted as he looked up at his lover who was standing on top of the frozen surface of the snow. "Not fair."

"One good thing about being short." Wufei said with a shrug. "You don't weigh that much."

Duo grumbled as he started to push his legs forward. Every step was a huge physical challenge. The dogs helped by pulling him along but it was still exhausting. Wufei took great pleasure in walking ahead of him, reaching down every now and then to pat him on the head. "I could get used to being this tall." Wufei said with a grin.

"You are having far too much fun with this." Duo informed him as he took a second to rest.

Wufei grinned and poked him in the shoulder with his foot

Duo took the opportunity to push his boyfriend, making him tip over and break through the frozen surface. He laughed evilly as Wufei tried to climb back up, only to have the edges break under his weight. Teapot barked happily, licking Wufei's face as much as he could reach without falling in to the hole.

"Meanie." Wufei accused childishly from where he was trapped in the snow.

Duo just laughed, reaching out to pull him over to the ditch his steps had made through the snow. "Come on, we're almost there."

A few minutes later they stepped out on the field. Untouched snow as far as your eye could see, framed by tall majestic pine trees. The sun was shining brightly, making the snow sparkle like diamonds.

The dogs danced in excitement, clearly realizing why they were there. They were off the second Duo released them from their leashes.

Izzy and Cassie immediately rushed of in a mad sort of tag-wrestle game with Teapot following closely behind on his shorter legs.

Millie simply yawned and lay down in the snow, clearly feeling too old to run around like a puppy.

Wufei eyed the running dogs in distrust. "You don't think they will run away?"

"Nah, they know better. Howard is really good at the whole discipline part. They will come if you just call them." He said with certainty. The dogs may not listen when he told them to stop barking or to stop eating something gross that they found on the ground, but if he called them back, they would come.

Wufei looked at snow diving dogs with distaste. "They are going to smell even worse when the snow melts."

Duo gave his frowning lover an amused look as he put his sunglasses back on. "You really don't like dogs do you?"

"Wet fur is among the most repugnant things imaginable." Wufei grunted unhappily.

Duo reached down, breaking off the hard surface of the snow to reach the soft, compact snow underneath it. He grabbed a handful of it before straightening back up again. "Let me guess, you never had any animals around you when you were a kid." He said, forming the snow into a round ball.

"A few of my friends had cats." Wufei was quiet for a moment. "But like my friends, they were pretty old and didn't really like to move around all that much."

"Well, there is your reason then." He said, turning towards the three playing dogs. "Ball!" He shouted, getting instant attention. Even Milli, who was more or less lifeless on the ground, lifted her head to look up. Duo took aim, and threw the snow ball over the dogs' heads. A wild chase followed before it ended abruptly as Izzy throw herself into the air, catching the snow in her mouth. She happily chewed it up, and swallowed it down like it was a tasty treat.

Duo chuckled and bent down to make another one. "I think that if you don't spend time around animals when you are a kid, you will never get the point of them."

Wufei just shrugged, stumping the snow down to make himself a sizable hole to stand in.

"We used to have a dog when I was like five or six, but it got hit by a lumber truck." Duo threw the snowball, and the dogs ran like mad in an attempt to catch it. "Howard on the other hand has been a dog owner as long as I can remember. Not just one dog, but at least three to five dogs."

"I just realized what my version of hell would be like." Wufei muttered as he used the edge of his coat as protection to sit down in the deep snow.

Duo snickered. "Howard used to take me and my brothers camping every summer. He always brought all the dogs with him. Imagine four people and three to five dogs in a tent."

Wufei looked slightly ill. "I really hope it was a very big tent."

Duo shrugged, picking up more snow from the ground. "It was one of those old military tents, a pain in the ass to get up but really nice to sleep in."

He threw another ball with a nostalgic smile. "We used to go on hiking trips up in the mountains every year… well, after a few years it was mostly just Howard and I, since my brothers didn't really like the whole nature experience."

Duo tipped his head back, looking up at the cloudless sky. "You know, I used to be really, and I mean _really,_ close to Howard." A crow flew over his head, temporarily shadowing his face and he turned back to his lover. "He kind of was like a second dad you know."

Wufei smiled gently. "Really?"

"Yeah. He used to take me fishing, camping, hiking. He took me along to science fairs and came to all my games. I spent a lot of my summers hanging out over at his house, I hardly ever came home. This was before he met his wife, so it was just him and all his dogs."

The dogs were wrestling in the snow. Or the bigger dogs wrestled, Teapot was mostly just getting stepped on.

"Howard was actually the one who made me want to work with marketing. He's an inventor, you know, a really good one. Give him some junk and he can make it into something profitable." Duo laughed, thinking about his eccentric uncle, running around among the large piles of junk in his basement, wearing one of his ugly Hawaii shirts. "He used to let me help with the advertisement, trying to figure out what age group to aim for, what kind of name would be appropriate, what kind of slogan would work, you know, things like that." Duo grinned, looking over at his lover. "Ever heard of 'Howard's space sweepers?'

Wufei blinked. "Those expensive sweeps that looks like a UFO?"

"That's it." Duo grinned. "I named them you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it might not have been the most original name but on the other hand, I was only fourteen."

"Cool." Wufei replied with laughter in his eyes.

They were quiet for a while, just watching the dogs as they played.

Duo took off his sunglasses, rubbing the top of his nose. "You know I was a bit of a brat when I was a kid."

"Hell spawn." Wufei corrected fondly.

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Well if I wasn't out doing stupid shit with my friends I was over at Howard's. Hell, I even had my own room over at his house."

He put his sunglasses back on, shielding his eyes from the bright, unforgiving sun. "He was actually the first one I came out to." He grimaced as the memories crawled up from their hiding place, deep inside his mind. "God, it was fucking horrible. I was fifteen and absolutely scared out of my mind. I can't even remember what I told him, I remember just sobbing out something about how I didn't want him to hate me."

Wufei made a low sound. Not one in comfort, one that spoke of knowledge. Everyone who had ever had to say those words, waiting to be judged for something that they could not control, knew.

"He just smiled and call me a brat." Duo grinned at the memory. "Then he made a bunch of junk food and we watched comedies all night until I fell asleep in his shoulder."

"He sounds like a great guy." Wufei said, raising his hand to protect his eyes as he looking over at the playing dogs.

"He is. I just wish we were still that close." He mused a bit sadly, reaching down to pat Millie who thumbed her tail into the snow in responds.

"So why aren't you?"

Duo shrugged. "Well, a lot of reasons but mostly…" He sighed heavily. Reluctance bubbled in his chest as more unwanted memories escaped from where he had tried to bury them. "It's a part of a longer story."

He bent down to make another snowball, taking a moment to think before he continued.

"Mom and dad, hell the whole family kept pressing me to do something with my life but I…" He tilted his head, choosing his words. "I guess I couldn't find any will to do anything. It wasn't just that it felt like all my cousins and my brothers were succeeding with everything as soon as they touched it. I was just too busy trying to figure out who I was to think about what I wanted to do with my life." He pressed the snow tightly, as if taking out years of frustration on it. "You know how it is, when you kind of realize that you are not like everyone else, and people start treating you differently because they found out that you really weren't interested in anyone's rack."

Wufei nodded with a grim look on his face.

"I came out when I was sixteen and suddenly I wasn't just the Maxwell trouble child, I was the gay one." He spat out as he throw the ball as hard as he could, not finding any joy in watching the dogs run. "At the time I was the only one who was openly gay, not even Tris, or Thomas as she went by back then, was open. Even if anyone who looked at her could kind of tell."

Wufei laughed softly, clearly imagine Tris trying to act masculine.

"I was the talk of the town no matter what I did so, naturally, I lashed out and did a bunch of stupid shit." He snorted, mocking himself. Wufei didn't know how right he was when he called him hell spawn. He had been that kid that parents told their kids to stay away from; the one everyone thought the worse of, no matter what. "It took a lot of time for me to find my footing about being gay." He swallowed awkwardly. "You know how I kind of have been… around." He said with a guilty grimaced.

Wufei just smiled as he affectingly throw a small snowball at his head.

Duo brushed it off his hat with a slightly relived smile. "I just really wanted to rub the whole -_out and proud!-_ in everyone's face, to hell with what they thought about me… But after a while, it kind of just took over my life."

He frowned as he tried to make sense of all the uncomfortable memories, rushing through his head. "I felt wanted and at the time, I really needed that… but after a while I just needed to feel wanted all the time and when I didn't I got… clingy. " Duo confessed, thinking back to all those failed relationships. He couldn't blame some of them for leaving; he really had been a handful.

"Party after party, working pointless dead end jobs to pay for the partying and the faceless mass of people with their welcoming beds and-"

He guiltily stopped and glanced over at Wufei. He often forgot the unwritten rule that you should never speak about your ex's with your boyfriend. But Wufei wasn't like other people and the guy just didn't understand the concept of jealousy. Wufei therefore just smiled in encouragement.

Duo looked away, bending down to dig up some more snow out of the hole he was making. "At first, Howard was the only one who didn't tell me that I need to stop and shape up. He once said that he knew that I would figure it out on my own." Duo still didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He might have listened if Howard tried to steer him in the right direction, but at the same time, he might not have. He knew how pigheaded he could be and probably not even Howard could talk him out of it.

"I told you about Phillip Brown, right?" Duo knew that he had. You didn't forget about telling the one you love that you once beat up one of your old boyfriends.

Wufei leaned forward until he could get a hold of his hand, wrapping his own glove covered hand around his.

Duo took a shaky breath as he took a step closer to his lover. "I didn't really handle the aftermath all that well. I knew I fucked up and I knew how wrong it was but when…" Duo sighed, looking down as he played with Wufei's fingers through his gloves. "Howard came and got me out after they stuck me in the drunk tank. Then in the car, he gave me a real tongue lashing, the worst I have ever gotten in my life. And believe me; I've had a lot of them over the years." He couldn't help but chuckle. It felt like such a long time ago, like it was something he had done when he was impossibly young. But reality said differently. He had been older then, than Wufei was now.

"Usually I would have listened to anything he told me, but at the time I just couldn't handle it. It just felt like he, the one who had always stood by me, was betraying me by joining 'them' if you know what I mean. Crazy I know, but I wasn't really thinking clearly right then. I blew up in his face, saying things that you really should not say to your father figure before bolting. I went to my apartment and just took everything I had and left. I didn't even tell anyone I was leaving, didn't leave a note or anything. God, what a drama queen I was."

Wufei still didn't say anything and for that Duo was grateful. It was hard to re-live things he rather wanted to forget, but Wufei deserved to know. "I had met Brian—you know Brian from the study group, at a ski trip a few years before and we had kind of kept contact over the internet and so on, but we weren't that close." Duo snickered. "He was probably really surprised when I called him on the bus, asking if I could crash on his couch until I found some place to live."

Wufei chuckled, swinging their joined hands slightly. "Knowing Brian, he most likely didn't mind."

"No, he's cool like that." Duo laughed and with one last squeeze, he released Wufei's hand. "Only that the couches that we use for our study sessions are not even close to the couch he had back then. It was this small, two seat couch with almost no padding at all. "

Duo hunched down, concentrating on making snowballs. Wufei squatted down beside him and started to help. Together they made one after the other, creating a large pile of them. They didn't speak, they just worked quietly, shoulders brushing against each other.

"Did you know that Brian was actually studying to become a chef back then?" Duo asked softly, not taking his eyes off the snow in his hand.

Wufei shook his head, placing a completed snowball on top of the rest of them.

"Well he did, he just took an economy class to support me."

"That was nice."

"Very, because he was the only one who thought I would be able to do it. Hell, I didn't even think I could handle it." He owed Brian big time, that much he knew. He had been so lost and angry when he moved to the city. No friends besides Brian, no family, no job, just a wish to prove everyone wrong. Brian had been the one to encourage him to sign up at the university, pushing him to fight his own insecurities.

"But you did." Wufei smiled proudly, brushing their hands together.

"Yeah…" They worked quietly for a few minutes. Duo placed another snowball on the pile before brushing some sweat away from his forehead. "Since I moved, Howard and I haven't really spent any time together, not like we used to anyway." Duo finished another snow ball, throwing it from one hand to the other. "It's kind of sad, but I guess that you just have to grow out of some things." He stood back up, taking aim before calling out. "Ball!" The snowball flew over the heads of the happy, running dogs.

"At least Howard doesn't have to babysit me anymore."

Wufei was quiet for a moment, looking out over the snow covered landscape. "Maybe you should ask Howard if he would want to go camping with you some time."

Duo looked out over the field, watching the wrestling dogs. "I don't know if he would be interested."

"Wouldn't hurt to try, I think he would like it if you asked."

Duo didn't have time to respond as a sharp sound of a gun going off echoed violently over their heads, making them both jump. He couldn't tell where it came from but sounded pretty close.

"Fucking out-of-season hunters." Duo cursed angrily. "We should leave, who knows what those idiots start aiming at."

Duo opened his mouth to call back the dogs when he noticed something. "Shit!" He hissed as he searched the field around them with his eyes. "Teapot is gone."

"Teapot!" He shouted, hoping that the dog hadn't been scared enough to run away too far in to the forest.

"He went that way." Wufei said, pointing towards the shallow tracks in the snow, leading towards the threes.

"Damn. This is not good." Duo groaned as he started to work his way through the knee deep snow.

Calling back the rest of the dogs he quickly put them back in their leashes, not wanting to lose any more of them. They reached the edge of the meadow, the shadows looming over them as if doing their best to intimidate anyone who dared to enter.

"This is not good." Duo repeated quietly to himself as he pushed a low hanging branch out of his way.

"Don't worry. We'll find him." Wufei said calmly as if it was obvious.

They started walking. The snow wasn't as deep between the threes but it was enough to slow them down. The forest was calm and quiet around them as they followed the escaped dog's tracks.

"When I get my hands on those trigger happy morons." He mumbled angrily. "Teapot!"

Wufei snorted from where he had managed to climb back on top of the frozen surface. "Look who's talking."

"Well at least I never go hunting anywhere close to people's houses." Duo defended himself.

"We are in the middle of a forest." Wufei swept an arm around their surrounding as if to prove his point.

"No we're not; we're still on my parents land. This is practically our backyard." He growled angrily as he stared down at the small paw marks.

They followed the shallow tracks further into the forest, all the while calling out for the small dog. Deeper and deeper they walked until the tracks finally came to a stop in front of a fallen tree and the dark hole under it.

"Teapot, come here boy." Duo called as he climbed over a couple of sharp, snow cover rocks to get closer to the opening.

A pathetic whimper was heard from the hole.

Duo dropped down on his knees in front of the opening, barely managing to make out the white dog in it. "Aww, poor baby. You are safe now, come here." He reached down to carefully lift the shaking dog up from his hiding place. "Did the bad scary sound scare you?" He asked the dog in a whiny baby talk voice as he hugged him to his chest. Slowly he got back on his feet, holding the whimpering bullterrier tightly. "I'll carry him back." Duo cooed as he kissed the traumatized dog on the head.

"There is no need to baby him." Wufei muttered as he walked over to snap the leash to Teapot's collar.

"But he's scared." Duo protested, cuddling the dog to his chest.

Wufei paid him no mind as he lifted the dog out of his arms, placing him down in the snow.

"Come on now. I'm cold and dinner should be ready long ago." Wufei said as he started walking over the snow, dragging the reluctant dog along with him.

Duo was about to protest when Teapot suddenly started running to catch up to Wufei and Izzy.

"So strange." Duo muttered as he watched them go. He took a new grip on Millie and Cassie's leaches before he slowly started to force his legs trough the snow, following his lover.

* * *

By the time they got back they were both exhausted. Duo from walking through the deep snow and Wufei from all the energy it took to hold himself on top of the frozen surface. It took a lot of concentration to keep yourself from breaking through the snow and half way back, Wufei fell though for the last time and couldn't get back up. They both sighed in relief as they reached the house.

They gratefully stumbled into the hallway. "I think we need a nap." Duo mused as he helped Wufei off with his jacket. "We can heat something up later."

Wufei nodded tiredly as he kicked his shoes off. That he didn't bend down to place his shoes neatly next to the others spoke volumes about how tired he was. The gloves landed on the floor together with his knitted hat and his rainbow colored scarf before he turned to drag his feet towards the stairs. Duo watched him with a fond, but tired smile.

"Did you have a nice walk?" Howard asked as he stepped into the hallway."You were gone pretty long, you missed lunch."

"Some fucking out-of-season hunter scared Teapot and we spent most of the time trying to find him." Duo told him as he absently threw his jacket on top of the coat hanger.

"He's alright?"

Duo ruffled his bangs as he moved to follow Wufei upstairs. "Yeah, he was a bit shaken but he calmed down pretty fast once we found him."

"I should go out and take a look at the pup." Howard mumbled, walking past him to push his feet down into his old worn boots.

Duo hesitated with a foot on the staircase and a hand on the banister. "Hey Howard." He said, turning slightly towards his uncle.

The old man paused with a hand on the door handle. "Yeah?"

"I was thinking… It was a pretty long time since we went on any camping trip and—" Duo awkwardly pushed some hair in behind his ear. "I was just wondering if you felt like going again sometime?"

Howard froze, blinking several times. "I would like that very much kid." He said roughly before opening the front door, leaving without another word.

Duo grinned as he turned to skip up the stairs to his lover.

* * *

A/N

I have to confess that it feels very strange to post this chapter. This story has been done since October but hey, that's what happens when your beta reader actually has a life XD

Let me know what you thought about it, please?

(The last chapter is done, I'm just going to fix some minor things before I post it.)


	18. Leaving home to go back home

Chapter 18 – Leaving home to go back home.

* * *

Duo woke up from where he was using Wufei's ass as a pillow. It was a really nice pillow.

He wanted to fall back asleep but he knew that he couldn't, not this late in the afternoon. His body wouldn't let him. He stayed where he was for a few minutes before his empty stomach stated to protest. With a sigh he rolled over Wufei's legs, putting his feet on the floor. He might as well get up.

After using his "just making sure that the boyfriend is breathing" mirror, he stretched and got up. Wufei wouldn't wake up until he was ready, that much he knew.

Without trying very hard to be quiet, Duo left his childhood bedroom in hunt for something to eat. They might have missed lunch but there should be food left in the refrigerator. He paused when he noticed something new on the long line of photographs hanging in the hallway. A small black frame hung next to his graduation photo. He stepped closer and bent down to see if it was what he thought it was and grinned when he realized that he had been right.

In the picture, his boyfriend was lying flat on his back in the back of his grandfather's car, hair rumbled with children all over him. "Awww," he whispered softly to himself. He made a mental note to give his cousin a call so that she could send him a copy. Wufei needed to remember the good parts of this trip, not just the looming, bad ones. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. With one last look at the photo, he continued his quest.

Coming down the stairs, he paused when he heard someone say his name, followed by a round of laughter. He could make out the voices of his parents, his aunt and his uncles. Carefully he continued down the stairs, deliberately stepping over the last step so that it wouldn't creek and give his presence away. He came to a stop next to the kitchen doorway and leaned against the wall. He knew that eavesdropping never made anyone happy but he just couldn't help himself.

His mother's words was the first he could make out. "Then, when he stumbled into the kitchen, ice covering his bangs and so cold that he was shaking, Wufei took charge and just placed him where he wanted him."

His aunt's very distinct laughter was heard. "I swear, I was holding my breath when Wufei pulled Duo down in his lap. I was so sure that he was going to protest."

His mother snorted. "You are not the only one, then when Wufei bundled him up like an over grown teddy bear under that blanket… dear god. I could hardly believe my eyes."

His aunt continued. "Well I can't believe he stayed there, especially as we were there. I could understand it if it was just the two of them, but Duo always been so... not self conscious but... aware of people around him."

"Well he was ether freezing his ass off or Wufei preformed some kind of miracle." Howard's voice boomed in the small kitchen.

His father chuckled. "I'm thinking that it has to be a miracle. Suz, remember that winter when he walked all night from that party?"

His mother groaned as if in pain.

"When was this?" Howard questioned. Duo closed his eyes in embarrassment, knowing very well what his parents were talking about.

"God, years ago. He couldn't have been more then seventeen. They were at some party outside of Grasshill and Duo's ride 'disappeared.' Personally, I think they got drunk, but you don't tell your parents that." There was a pause before the sound of a mug being put down was heard. "So instead of calling someone to come pick him up, he walked all the way from Grasshill to Stoneham in the middle of the winter."

His uncle Howard let out a impressed whistle. "That's a pretty damn long walk."

"Yeah, took him almost all night. Then he hitchhiked with god knows who from Stoneham into town before walking from there, all the way back home. He stumbled through the door at noon, looking more dead than alive. Lips so blue that I thought he frozen them off."

His mother groaned. "And then he refused to let us help. He wouldn't even let me untie his boots even thou he could barely bend his fingers!"'

"Stubborn boy." His father chuckled fondly.

"Remember when he was eight and he went through the ice?"

"Oh God, Suz. Don't remind me."

"He went through the ice over at the north side of the forest, walked drenched all the way back home, sneaked into the house so we wouldn't notice. He got sick as a dog for weeks and it took us forever before we manage to get him to tell us how he managed to get so frozen."

His father sighed. "I have asked him, whenever he gets into trouble, why he won't let us help and he just mumbles something about how he can do it himself. God, that I haven't lost my hair over that boy is a miracle. He's been a handful, that's for sure. I wish Wufei all the best because he's going to need it."

His uncle George chuckled. "Especially since Duo talked him into marrying him, the poor boy didn't stand a chance. God knows how he's going to handle that."

"They'll be fine… I hope." Howard finished gruffly.

"It does seem a bit rushed thou," his father mused, "How long have they known each other? Four months? Less? I wonder if they know what they are getting themselves into."

His mother cleared her throat. "I'm sure that they are going to make it work… even if it is a bit sudden."

Duo didn't want to hear more. He hurried upstairs as quietly as he could, not wanting anyone to hear him. His bedroom was still dim, smelling slightly musty but comforting as he carefully closed the door behind him. Quietly, he crossed the floor.

Wufei was lying exactly as he left him. On his stomach, one arm bent under his head and one lying over the empty space next to him.

Duo got down on his knees next to the bed. Trying to match Wufei's breathing he forced himself to calm down. The words he just heard echoed painfully through his head. It was sudden for them to get married and he kind of hadn't given Wufei a choice about it. He _knew_ this but hearing it from his parents made it seem more real, more impulsive… more _unfair_.

Leaning his elbows on the mattress, he brushed his fingertips softly over Wufei's arm. A slight flutter of dark eyelashes and a shallow stretch of lips were all the indication he got that his lover was awake.

"We don't have to get married if you don't want to," he blurted out. The words tasted like acid in his mouth.

Wufei blinked with tired eyes. "Hmh?"

Duo took a quick gulp of air before rambling on. "I wouldn't force you into doing something that you don't want to do or make you feel like you have to do it. I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you didn't have a choice or something. Because you do, we do. We don't have to get married, we could do the promise thing like you wanted or we can just keep dating like before. I was just so happy and I wasn't thinking and when you said _that_ I just started thinking that we were getting married even if that wasn't really what you said. Oh god, you tried to correct me, I'm sorry! I didn't listen, I should have listened. I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to. I know I'm stubborn and sometimes I just talk too much without listening. I don't mean to, I just ge-"

"Duo." His lover cut him off, tugging his braid to make him stop. Duo sharply closed his mouth, teeth slamming together almost painfully. Wufei slowly patted the bed next to him, motioning him to lie down beside him. Duo did, his whole body feeling stiff and cold. "I want to marry you." Wufei mumbled, rubbing the sleep out off his eyes. "And you might be stubborn but you will never be able to make me do anything I really don't want to do. You know this."

And Duo did know. It was easier to move a mountain with your mind and a toothpick.

Duo turned his face away. "I know, sorry."

"Hm." Wufei shuffled a bit, bringing his sleep warmed body close, burying his face in Duo's neck. "What brought this on?"

Duo sighed, feeling himself start to relax, his body melting against Wufei's. "They were talking about me downstairs."

Wufei made a low, comforting sound as he kissed his neck.

"Does it make sense that I kind of forgot, just for a while, what kind of person I was... am, I don't know. Can people change, just like that?"

"Of course they can. If they want to." Wufei mumbled, arms working their way in and around Duo's chest.

"I want to change." Duo confessed quietly into soft, dark hair.

"You don't need to change." Wufei yawned. "Like you the way you are." His lover mumbled into his neck, nose rubbing against his skin.

And maybe it was just that simple.

Duo closed his eyes in relief.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

By the time they got down stairs, his aunts and uncles had left together with Duo's father, much to Duo's relief. He didn't really feel like facing all of them right at the moment. They found his mother in the kitchen preparing dinner. Solo was also there, cutting up carrots at the kitchen table.

Solo put the knife down when he saw them, drying his hands off against his pants." Hey bro, need a word with you."

Duo gave his brother a strange look as he picked up an apple out off the bowl on the counter. "Sure."

The other man hesitated; he glanced over at their mother's turned back. In an unspoken agreement they left the kitchen. There were some things that you did not want your mother to overhear, and apparently this was one of those things. Solo walked into the living room and Duo followed closely behind, curious what his brother wanted to talk about.

"I got a call last night." Solo started up as he gracelessly dropped down on one of the couches, staring blindly over at the empty fireplace and the colorful ornaments standing on top of it.

"Oh?" Duo mumbled as he greedily bit into his apple.

"Yeah, took me a few seconds before I managed to figure out what Gran was trying to say." He chuckled weakly. "Man, I have never heard her so angry in my life."

Duo was suddenly very aware what that this conversation was about.

Their grandma had been almost twitching in anger when she came back to the kitchen and informed them that John had left and that Duo was going to drive Johanna and the kids home after lunch. No one had dared to question.

"I knew he could be a bit of an ass sometimes but I didn't know he was… that bad."

Duo didn't say anything he just sat down on the other side of the couch, looking down on his half eaten apple.

"I called him up to hear what he had to say." Solo paused and Duo turned his attention to his brother who was hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, face hidden in the palms of his hands. "He said… a lot of things that I… didn't agree with and-" He cut himself off, looking over at Duo with slightly red eyes. "Shit Duo, I'm so fucking sorry, I didn't know, I swear it didn't."

Duo blinked, stomach clenching at the look on his brothers face. "It's okay, don't worry about it."

"It is not okay!" Solo hissed, quieting down to make sure no one had heard him before continuing in a lower tone. "He meant something completely different than I did when we teased you and thereby he pulled me along with him."

Duo shrugged awkwardly, pulling his braid over his shoulder, playing with the end of it. "I knew that you didn't mean it like that."

"It doesn't matter because the result was the same. We hurt you."

Duo didn't protest; there was no point in denying it.

Solo leaned back, resting the back of his head against the top of the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "You were always so independent, you never let what people said affect you, you always did what you wanted to do. I really envied you that."

Duo startled, giving the older man a wide eyed look.

"You just went where you felt like going, nothing held you down. I could be at home, swamped with homework that needed to be corrected, diapers that had to be changed, bills to pay and I would get a postcard from across the word where you were telling me about night life and your new job as a condom salesman." Solo crossed his arms over his chest, eyes still stuck on the white ceiling. "It was just so much fun to have you change from the well-traveled, confident adult to a childish, pissed off brat with just a bit of teasing. You always get so reeled up for every little thing, not matter how small… but I guess they weren't as small as I thought."

Duo, who had dreamed of this day as long as he could remember didn't know what to say. He just knew that this situation was awkward, Solo had apologized and there was food and Wufei in the other room. That was enough for him. He hid a smile, feeling strangely adult and mature for his decision. "You're forgiven or whatever, come on man, I'm starving." Duo got up and slapped Solo's shoulder.

Solo chuckled, looking relived as he got to his feet. "I just what to know what Wufei did to get Granma so devoted to him."

Duo shrugged as he bit into what was left of his apple. "No idea." He mumbled around his bite. "He just has this way with old people, he had Gran eating out off his hands seconds after they meet."

"She was pretty… intense when she talked about him."

"Old people, kids and dog love him, don' know why." He finished off the fruit, swallowing down the less tasteful parts. "Especially since he hate dogs."

"I heard you got surprised by some hunters while walking Howard gang."

Duo snorted angrily, remembering what they had gone through to get Teapot back. "Yeah, some idiots were hunting far too close to our house."

Solo grunted. "I have a feeling about who it could be."

"Who? Peterson?" He asked as they walked into the kitchen. Wufei had taken over Solo's carrot cutting and he walked over to grab himself a treat… and a grope of he could.

"Nah, I'm thinking it could be Jackson's kids."

"Could be." Duo agreed around his mouthful of carrot pieces that he had stolen off the cut board. "Fucking kids." He leaned back against the kitchen table, hooking a finger into one of Wufei's belt loops as his lover chopped.

"It sucks to be a responsible adult or I would have gone up there and slapped them around a bit so that they would learn." Solo grumbled.

Duo snorted. "Like we ever learned anything by being beaten up by the older kids. I think you're delusional, old man."

They mother cut them off as she closed the refrigerator with a thoughtful noise. The brothers froze as one, both recognizing the 'I want you to do something that you don't want to do' sound. Like teenage boys they crinkled. Solo even had the nerve to try to back out off the room. "I need some things for dinner tonight, could-"

"We'll do it!" Wufei cut in enthusiastically, hand up in the air like a child who was proud of knowing the answer in class.

Duo gave his lover a strange look as he watched the other man accept the shopping list and a handful of bills with a blinding grin.

Wufei then proceeded to drag him towards the front door. "Why are you so set on shopping?" Duo questioned, catching his jacket as Wufei throw it at him

"Because to shop, you have to drive to the store and to go into the store you have to park the car outside."

For a second, Duo had no idea what he was talking about. Then he remembered his idiotic promise from that morning. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'. Get your shoes on. Now." Wufei ordered, holding the car keys in one hand while the other was clenching in need around the door handle.

Duo dived towards his boots.

* * *

Duo parked in the very far end of the parking lot. Barely a fifth of it was actually filled and all the other cars were standing as close to the store as they could. The chance that anyone would even drive past them were slim but that didn't stop Duo from fearing the worst.

He wanted to keep the car running so that it wouldn't be so damned cold but he didn't dare to attract any un-wanted attention. It was bad enough that a lot of people recognized his car when they saw it. The thought of having some friend of his mother come knocking on the window while he had Wufei's cock down his throat was making cold sweat break out over his back.

Making sure that the handbrake was properly pulled, he turned towards his lover. Wufei just grinned and reached town to pushed the seat back as far as it would go.

Duo looked from the space on the floor, to the bulge in Wufei's pants, up to dark, lust filled eyes.

"I can't believe you get me to do these things." Duo muttered as he checked their surrounding, making sure that no one was paying attention to them.

Wufei smiled happily, like only the soon-to-be-laid could. "It was your idea from the start."

Duo chose not to respond as he carefully climbed over to Wufei's side of the car and got down on his knees on the floor.

He was too big to really fit comfortably, but since he was going to spend the entire time bent over, no one would see him if they didn't step up to the car.

The plastic mat was wet from the melted snow running off the soles of Wufei's boots.

"You forgot to knock the snow off." Duo remarked absently, eyes stuck on the tent in front of him.

"I had other things on my mind."

Duo nodded absently, lifting his head to peer out the window. Further away he could see his old school teacher, Mrs. Tomas, parking her car next to the others. The instinctive fear made him shiver. This was insane. If anyone saw them he was going to die of humiliation. He would never be able to return to this town. Hell, he would never be able to look his grandmother in the eye again when the talk of the town reached her. And it would.

Duo already had quite the reputation in this town and he sure as hell didn't want to ad 'exhibitionist' or 'flasher' to his resume.

Swallowing thickly he ducked back down to un-zipped Wufei's jeans with shaky hands making sure to bend the metal teeth far away.

"No underwear?" Duo looked up in surprise. "Did you plan this?"

"Maybe just a little bit." Wufei confessed happily. "So was I fast enough?"

Duo looked up from where he was freeing Wufei's hard cock from its confinement. "What?"

"To take your hair out. Was I fast enough to clear your name?"

Duo rolled his eyes, smiling despite the terror growing in his chest. "I almost feared that you were going to break your neck running down the stairs in that speed." He sighed in resignation. "Fine."

Wufei's fingers combed their way through his bangs, up over his head until they reached the base of his braid. From there they wandered down as far as they could until they gripped his braid, pulling it up.

Wufei met his eyes straight on, lust dancing in his eyes as he pulled the band from the end of the braid, looping it around his wrist.

Duo swallowed as he watched his own hair unravel in Wufei's worshiping hands. "This." Wufei whispered breathlessly. "Is so hot."

Duo did not feel hot in any way. In fact, the car was growing cold and Duo could feel the melted snow soak into his jeans. Not to mention that he couldn't remember feeling less sexually attractive in a very long time. He tried not to think about it as Wufei spread his hair out over his legs in long, soft waves.

Wufei leaned back in his seat, looking down at him with hooded eyes. "God, you look sexy like this." He breathed.

Duo tried to imagine how he must look. Wide eyed, breathing too fast in fear where he was kneeling between his lovers widely spread legs in the far too small space with his hair falling all over the place. Sexy wasn't the word he would use.

Wufei lovingly ran a hand through his hair and Duo's breath got caught in his throat. Okay, so maybe Wufei was really sexy where he was sprawling in the black leather seat, cock out and pointing stiffly at him like if to tell him to get on with it. Forcing himself not to think, Duo leaned forward and opened his mouth.

* * *

After making sure that the parking lot was abandoned, they quickly stumbled out of the car. They straightening their clothes and Duo collected his lose hair into a somewhat neat ponytail.

"Well then." Wufei said easily, taking his hand as he started walking towards the store. "We better hurry before they start wondering where we went."

Duo, who had just gotten back his normal skin color, blushed just thinking about having his mother ask them what took them so long. 'Well, you see mom, Wufei wanted his cock sucked in the parking lot and he isn't really a fast shooter if you know what I mean.' He shuddered helplessly in horror.

"I never did get my sightseeing tour." Wufei remarked as he let go of his hand to walk in between a couple of parked cars.

Duo snorted. "That would be because there is nothing to see in this dirt hole."'

"Oh come on, there has to be some history here, if not for the town, for you."

"You want to know, then okay." He pointed over at the opposite side of the large brick building. "Over in that corner, I smoked my first cigarette. A couple of older kids offered me one and I didn't want to be un-cool so I took it, barely managed not to throw up all over myself. I was probably pale as a ghost but I managed to smoke the whole thing. They usually didn't let me hang out with them since I was Solo's little brother and hanging out with kids younger than you just wasn't done."

Thinking about it like that, then maybe it was a good thing that he hadn't met Wufei earlier. Who knew what could have happened then.

"I was feeling on top of the world when I left, only by the time I got home, someone had already called my parents, telling them that I had been smoking with the town punks."

Wufei snickered. "I'm sure your mother was very happy to hear that."

"Very. I got the 'I'm so disappointed in you' speech until I was ready to scream." Duo paused, frowning in displeasure. "Now that I think about it, I actually did scream. Quite a lot. Man, I was one horrible brat."

The doors opened for them and Duo grabbed a basked from the neat pile by the door. "Moving on. I actually worked in this store one summer when I was fifteen." He swept his hands towards the seemingly endless rows of shells. "I was a cleaner, a very frustrated one. Take notice of the fact that this floor always looks dirty and not matter what you do, it will stay dirty."

"Interesting." Wufei said, looking down at the gray plastic floor.

"Since I was a kid and most likely because of the reputation I had, they didn't want to give me access to a key so I could clean when the store was empty. Instead I had to do it while the personal was restocking the shelves." He led Wufei over towards the bread section, getting a bag of the rusk he knew his father wanted. "Do you know what happens when you drive a delivery cart over a wet floor?"

"Um, people slip?" Wufei guessed as he fished up the shopping list out off his pocket.

"No. Black lines, all over the place. I spent more time re-cleaning the places I had already cleaned than anything else." Duo couldn't help but glare when he noticed one of the mentioned black lines crossing an aisle in front of them. "For some reason I never worked here again."

"How odd." Wufei remarked as he dropped another bag of rusk into Duo's basket.

"Isn't it." Duo looked around the familiar surroundings, taking in all the shells, the pale signs hanging from the ceiling and the corny, plastic lobster in a chef hat hanging over one of the freezers. A bit misleading since, as far as he knew, there had never been any lobsters in that freezer.

Duo sighed. "Unfortunately, that didn't set me free from this place. We always shop here and no, before you ask, this is not the place I-" He cut himself off, lowering his voice considerably. "-got caught shoplifting."

"I was actually just about to ask." Wufei confessed with a grin.

"I'm not that stupid. If my mother found out about the smoking, she sure as hell would have found out about that before I even got to the doors."

Wufei chuckled, giving him a fond look.

Duo leaned his hip against the bread shell. "As I was saying, our family has always done our shopping here. The store have been here since my grandmother was a kid, only a lot smaller and without the large parking lot. Gran always complained that it has gotten too big and that she can never find what she was looking for." Duo snorted. "They never change anything here and I swear I could do my shopping here with my eyes closed."

Wufei leered challenging. "Alright, so where is…" He looked down at the shopping list. "Canned beans?"

Duo turned in a half circle, pointing down the aisle. "Third shelf on the right, next to the olives."

Wufei lifted an eyebrow before he started following Duo's instructions and look and behold, there were the beans.

"Impressive." Wufei remarked as he lifted two cans down into the basket. "So where is the canola oil?"

Duo thought for a second. "It should be on the other side of this shelf, can't say for sure exactly where it is but it should be closer to the left side."

They walked around to the other side and there were the oil, on the left side. Wufei grinned as he put one of the bottles down in the basked. "Okay, so here is a tough one. Cornstarch."

Duo snorted as he started walking. "I'm never going to forget where you can find that. The shelf broke once and I was stuck trying to clean up a mess of cornstarch, syrup and vinegar."

"That couldn't have been fun."

"Sure wasn't." He lead them trough the store. Past the cleaning supplies, the diapers and the baking supplies. As they turned a corner, they came face to face with the cornstarch. "What's next?" Duo said, feeling smug.

"Eggs."

"Towards the dairy section then." He said, pointing ahead.

The shelves opened up to the refrigerator covered wall at the far side of the store. There, at the end, Duo stopped with dramatic pose. "Behold! Eggs." Duo made a sweeping motion over the egg cartons.

Wufei got half a dozen eggs down from the shell. "I'm going to laugh so hard when you fail to find something."

Duo snorted. "That's not going to happen."

"You do realized that by saying that, you have more or less guaranteed that you won't find something."

"Try me."

"So where is the yeast?"

He snorted, walking a few steps back the way they came. "It's right h-" He blinked when the yeast was in fact, not right where it was supposed to be. "What the fuck. You did that on purpose!"

Wufei broke out in a almost hysterical laughter just like he promised.

Duo stared at the refrigerator self in confusion. "But it has to here, it has always been here." He turned accusing eyes over to his laughing fiancé. "How did you do that?"

Wufei just laughed, letting Duo realize how stupid his accusation was on his own.

"This is insane, maybe they are just out of yeast. He said, searching through the prices set up on the edge. "It's not here, what the fuck is going on?" He muttered. "What reason could they possibly have for moving it. It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe they just felt like it belonged somewhere else." Wufei subjected.

"No, the yeast should be right here, it has always been right here." Duo grumbled, glaring at the vitamin drinks standing in its place.

"We could just ask someone." Wufei suggested, turning around to see if he could see any of the employees.

"We are not asking anyone anything." Duo refused stubbornly. "It has to be around here somewhere."

Wufei sighed but didn't say anything as he trailed after Duo as he started searching through the store.

"I still think we should ask someone." Wufei said a few minutes later when they still hadn't found it.

"No."

"It will go a lot faster than this." Wufei pointed out.

Duo didn't even dignify that with an answer.

Wufei prayed for strength under his breath as Duo searched through refrigerator after refrigerator.

"They don't have it." Duo decided. "We are going to have to buy dry yeast."

"The note says, 'attention, not dry.' Wufei pointed out, holding the shopping list up.

"It will have to do because they don't have it."

"You can't know that for sure."

Duo ignored him as he stalked off to get the dry yeast that thankfully was where it was supposed to be.

"I'm really starting to wonder about your relationship to this store." Wufei said, clearly amused for some unknown reason.

Duo shrugged, trying to put the yeast fiasco behind him. "It's the only store in town. I've been here more times than I can count. This store is like the backbone of the entire town. Q sometimes works in the cash register, Solo used to drive the delivery truck, Matt stocked the shells and-" Duo was just about to say that his first boyfriend used to work here when the door to the storage opened and Duo realized that he still was. He discreetly steered his lover in the opposite direction "-and I cleaned. So, the store kind of feels like a family business."

A few other items ended up in the basket as they walked up and down the aisles.

"A big company wanted to build a super marked between here and Stoneham but everyone just went nuts and started to protest so they gave up on that idea." Duo stopped to look down at the list before steering his steps along. "People are kind of insanely old fashioned here. It's almost like they are afraid of change. They want things to be like they have always been and when it's not, they get upset and grumpy."

Duo gave Wufei a strange look as his lover started laughing like crazy. "What?"

"Grumpy." Wufei chocked out, holding a hand against his side as he laughed.

"What?" He didn't get any answer as Wufei just kept going. "God, you just get weirder and weirder for everyday." Duo muttered, making Wufei laugh even harder.

Deciding that they had spent far too much time in the store, Duo got the last items on the list before leading his just about giggling lover towards the checkout line.

There were a couple of people in front of them when they arrived. The laughing Wufei got a few curious looks as they took their place in the line. Wufei finally managed to calm down, with a last snicker and a mumbled 'grumpy old man' under his breath.

Duo had a feeling that Wufei was making fun of him but he couldn't put his finger on just what it was. His thoughts were interrupted as someone in front of them in the line tapped him on the arm. He turned, coming face to face with a smiling redheaded woman.

"Hey, Duo. Back over Christmas?" She asked, bouncing a small child on her arm.

"Yeah, last day thou, we're leaving later today." Duo said, pushing his hand down into the pocket of his jeans. He saw her curiously eyeing Wufei who was wiggling his fingers to the happily smiling child.

"This is my fiancé, Wufei Chang, Wufei this is Samantha Jackson, we went to school together."

"Nice to meet you." Wufei said, looking away from the child to smile pleasantly at its mother.

"You too. I heard something about a boyfriend, but I must have missed the fiancé part."

Samantha was eying Duo's ring and he proudly held it up for inspection. Might as well get all the facts right since he knew that Samantha was one of the biggest gossipers around… after Tris, that it.

Wufei shrugged. "It's kind of resent."

Duo grinned and looped the basked over his other arm so that he could take Wufei's hand in his.

The line moved along and they took a few steps closer.

"So you're still in school?" She said in that tone of voice that Duo had heard a lot the last few years. The one that spook of disbelief and skepticism.

He smiled stiffly. "Yeah, got about a year left."

"What were you studying again?"

"Marketing."

"So you're going to make more commercials?" She asked and when he nodded she rolled her eyes, flicking a piece of red hair away from her face. "Because the world really needs more commercials."

Duo stomped down on his rising annoyance. He was so sick of people who automatically degraded everything he did simply because he was the one doing it. Once a screw up, always a screw up. "Well people can't buy products that they don't know exist."

"Yeah but it just seem so pointless and shallow to try to trick people into buying stuff they don't need." She told him in a lecturing tone.

"Tricking isn't a word I would use." He said neutrally, silently urging line to move faster.

"No offence, but I just think that there are better and more rewording things to do with your life, you know." She said, stroking her child's spares hair lovingly. Duo shifted his jaw in annoyance. He didn't know is she was making a jab at his sexuality or if she knew of his dislike of children. Either way it was pissing him off. People who thought the meaning of life was to have children had a way of doing that.

"You're kind of a rude bitch, aren't you?" Wufei cut in like he was talking about the weather.

Samantha's mouth dropped open and she stared in disbelief at Wufei's calm face.

"You- how dare you?" She hissed angrily.

Wufei tilted his head, giving her a curious look. "Are you jealous or just bitter?"

She didn't respond, instead she marched away, leaving her full chart behind.

Duo couldn't help but laugh, bending down to give his lover a kiss. "My hero." He mumbled fondly, making Wufei blush and duck his head so that his hair hid his face. "And to answer your question, I would think bitter. She was one of those popular girls who got pregnant far too early and never did anything with her life."

"Ah." Wufei said simply, stepping forward as the line moved, shoving the abandoned chart to the side.

Deciding to change the subject he nodded his head towards the magazine stand next to Wufei. "This is where I bought my very first porn magazine." He said, earning an amused smirk from Wufei. "Totally wasted money since I soon found out that I wasn't all that interested in playboy bunnies."

Wufei laughed, taking in the partly covered porn magazines standing in line at the top.

"Luckily, my mother never found out about that." He paused when a though struck him. "Or at least I think so. It would be so like her to know and then pretend otherwise." He groaned in mortification. "Let's change the subject."

Luckily, the middle age couple in front of them, who Duo recognized as the parents of another old classmate, were done and it was now their turn to step up to the register.

After paying and packing all the groceries, they left the store and got back to the car. A car that still smelled of sex. "Damn, I hope this airs out fast." He muttered as he started the car.

Wufei just smiled smugly.

They left the parking lot and Duo decided to take the long way home, the one that took them through the towns center. The pink sunset was covering the sky, making the snow covered small town look like something out of a movie or a post card.

"That place over there used to be a cinema when I was a kid but it closed down years ago." He said, pointing at the large wooden building standing at the edge of the town. The paint was falling off the walls in flakes and the windowed were covered with plywood.

He pointed to the other side of the road were a building with two garage doors were looking just as abandoned. "That used to be a repair shop where I work once." The old man who used to run it had helped him a lot and Duo had missed him when he died.

"I worked one summer there." He said, pointing over to the town's only clothing store. "I have no idea why they hired me but since Howard is an old friend of the owner I suspect that that they exchanged a few words first."

"Having contacts is always a good thing." Wufei said neutrally, giving the hopelessly un-modern clothes in the window a curious look.

"Maybe." Having contacts was one thing, being notorious was another.

A small pizza and hamburger place were standing in the corner of two streets. "I worked as a waiter there for a while."

"Is there a single place in this town where you haven't worked?" Wufei asked in amusement.

"One or two." Duo shrugged. "I moved a lot but when ever-" he cut himself off again, wondering if he would ever be able to have a normal conversation without bringing his ex's up. Wufei was looking at him as if he was waiting for the rest of the story and with a sigh, Duo went on. "Whenever one of my relationships went to hell, which they had a habit of doing, I would move back home and get another job." He slowed down in front of one of the town's two traffic lights. "I would pick myself up, and then move away again because I hate it here. Then I would fall in love, get dumped and come running back here with my tails between my legs." His words left a bad taste in his mouth. This could be one of the reasons he disliked returning to this town so much, because coming back here always felt like a failure.

"It's good that you have someplace to go when you need comfort." Wufei said easily, looking at a group of middle age woman who were obviously gossiping between each other while following the car with their eyes. "I would climb up on the roof of my grandmother's house whenever I wanted to get away."

Duo smiled, reaching over to squeeze Wufei's hand briefly.

They drove past a couple of more houses then they had passed the whole town. It had barely taken three minutes. Without the streetlights, it suddenly got a lot darker and Duo put the full beam on, lighting up the white road.

They drove silently for a while, the forest standing tall and deep on both sides of the road.

"That's the bus stop I got on when I went to school."Duo said, pointing at a leaning pole sticking out of the snow. "Damn I hate that stop." He grumbled, glaring at the sign in the rearview mirror. "It takes forever to walk to it if you follow the road and in the winter it was more or less impossible to cut through the woods since the owner of the land won't let us drive our snowmobiles there." And since the owner was a friend of his grandparents, he couldn't disobey.

"Then when you finally got there you would have to wait for up to half an hour since the bus was late half the time. After that you had almost an hour to look forward to where you were stuck in the bus, wishing you were still in bed."

Wufei laughed. "And I thought I had it bad with a twenty minute walk to school."

"Unless you had to walk through a swamp or over a mountain, then no, you did -not- have it bad." Duo wished that he could have walked to school. An hour and a half spent on -getting- to school, only to do it all again when you went home was just too much. Duo had really hated living in a small town when he was a kid, really hated it.

Wufei smiled softly, looking out into the dark. "It's almost sad that we are leaving, I kind of like it here."

Duo snorted and gave the other man a look of disbelief. "You just think so, it's a completely different thing when you are stuck out here, then you hate it with everything you got."

"You don't hate it here." Wufei stated with certainty

"No, not anymore. But I'm not stuck here ether, am I?"

"I suppose so." Wufei replied absentmindedly as he pulled his gloves off. "So when are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible before this shit hole eats our souls." Duo answered, glaring at the surrounding forest.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Drop the act would you. I know very well that you like it here."

"Oh yeah?" Duo leaned back with a confident smirk. "Prove it."

Wufei shook his head, looking out into the dark. "I don't think you realize how differently you act out here."

Duo frowned. He didn't act any differently from back home. Or at least he thought so. "Like how?"

Wufei shrugged. "Well, as I said before, you are a lot more relaxed out here. You are not as hyper and stressed over everything."

"Could have something to do with the lack of work coming from the university. Some of us don't have it as easy as others to handle the work load."

Wufei continued as if he had never spoken. "I don't even know if you are aware of it, but your dialect changed as soon as we got here."

Duo blinked. "It did?"

"Yeah, it got a little less 'city' and a lot more 'country' than before."

"Are you serious?"

Wufei nodded.

Duo sighed, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "Damn, I hope it changes back when we get home." He so did not want to go back sounding like a small-towner.

Wufei gave him a smile, putting his elbow up against the door. "I don't, I kind of like it."

Duo muttered something about fetishes but he admitted to himself that he was secretly pleased. He had always been slightly ashamed over his small town background and it was nice to know that the man he loved liked his origin. Even if he didn't.

Wufei just eyed his ponytail for a moment before turning back to the road. "So when are we leaving?"

"After dinner?" He suggested. "We could wait until tomorrow so that we won't have to drive in the dark, but I kind of just want to get home."

Wufei nodded. "That's good. I told the breeder that we wouldn't get back until the day after tomorrow, but if we leave now, the furball will get another day to get used to us before class starts again."

"Deathscythe, not furball." Duo protested, slowing the car down as they got closer to a sharp curve.

"Yeah, yeah." Wufei muttered uninterested. "Call it what you want, but it will still leave a mess."

Duo reached into his jacket, getting his wallet out and fishing up the pictures that he'd gotten for Christmas. "It will be worth it, just look at that cute face." Duo held the photos in front of his lovers face.

Wufei barely glanced at the fluffy kitten. "You do realize that it will not always be that cute, right?"

Duo ignored him as he lovingly put the photos back. "Just because your cat looks like Frankenstein's leftovers."

"I didn't even want it in the first place."

"Well it just sucks to be you then." Duo snickered.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Well anyway, back to the subject. We'll just eat and make sure that we have everything with us, say good bye and then we can leave. Easy."

Duo didn't say anything because he knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

* * *

The departure went exactly like he thought it would go.

"Mom, for god's sake. It's not like I'm dying or that you're never going to see me again." Duo complained as he wrestled his way out of her embrace.

His mother still looked like the world was ending. "You better not and don't you dare to stay away for so long again."

Duo sighed. God, mothers. Couldn't live with them, wouldn't exist without them. Duo opened his mouth to say something less than comforting but a tug to his hair stopped him. Wufei released his braid and stepped in to put a hand on her arm. "Suz, I promise you that I will get him back here, by the summer holiday at the latest."

Duo just sighed as he crossed his arms, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Thank you." She said, wrapping her arms around Wufei, tucking his head in under her chin. "Take care of him would you?"

"Of course." Wufei said into her shoulder before stepping back as she released him.

The blond woman looked close to tears. "Make sure he eats and not just microwave dinners."

"I will."

"And see if you can make him get a haircut."

Wufei laughed. "Absolutely not."

She sighed. "Well at least try to make him dress properly."

"I will."

"And make sure he does his laundry."

"I will."

"And call me when you arrive so I'll know that you made it home safe."

This time Duo didn't resist and rolled his eyes but Wufei just nodded. "Of course."

"Have some patience with him would you? He might say and do a lot of stupid things but he doesn't mean any harm. He's a nice boy but he doesn't always think things through."

Mom!" Duo protested in embarrassment. That his brothers were snickering for all they were worth did not make things better. Duo glared and gave them the finger, earning a look of disapproval from his father.

Wufei just smiled and kissed her cheek. "I will, if he has some patience with my stupid things."

The woman laughed, hugging him again.

Duo groaned as he turned his back to them and climbed into the car, slamming the door closed behind him. He waited until Wufei closed his own door before he started to complain. "I can't believe that she said that. I'm actually pretty sure that my mother loves you more than me." He muttered as he started the car.

Wufei snorted, waving to Duo's family still standing on the driveway as Duo backed out on the road. "And you didn't have my grandmother wrapped around your finger, five minutes after you meet her? 'Yes of course Mrs Gilmore, no Mrs Gilmore, these are the best cookies I have ever eaten Mrs Gilmore.'" Wufei fastened his seatbelt. "I swear, every time I call her, you are the first thing she asks about."

"Aww, are you jealous?" Duo cooed teasingly as he changed in too the first gear, driving past the mail box with a slight flick of the wrist to his wildly waving mother.

"Yeah, one day she just might run away with you."

Duo laughed with one last look at his family in the review mirror. "So are we really going back this summer?" He asked as he stepped on the gas, changed into the third gear as he drove down the snow covered road.

"Yes."

Duo sighed, accepting his fate. "Right. I'll guess that we will survive. Don't get me wrong, I love them to pieces but there is a reason that I chose a university over four hours away."

Wufei gave him a amused smile as he took off his jacket and made himself comfortable against the car door.

Duo pressing gas down, changing in to the fifth gear as they got out on the main road. The dark, snow covered forest spreading out on ether sides of them in endless rows. "It's like I'm sixteen all over again whenever I walk through those doors. No matter what I do, no matter how old I am it's just 'WHAM!'" He slapped his hand against the steering wheel to emphasize his point. "I'm back to being that kid who never did as he was told and never got it right. It's so damn frustrating because yeah, I screwed up a few times but who hasn't, you know." Soft snow flakes were falling from the sky, creating a light layer on the windscreen and Duo carelessly flicked the wipers on.

"The last time I was home I had just started at the university and everyone, and I mean -everyone- including my mother thought I was going to drop out. No one even dared to bring it up, almost like they would jinx me by talking about it. Of course when they finally did bring it up, John just ran with it and the whole thing escalated until I faked illness just to get away." Duo put his elbow up on the car door, lazily resting his free hand on top of the steering wheel, trying not to think about how he spent the rest of that visit, or more exactly, the faceless people he spent it with.

"And then there is Solo who just loves to push me around. What you saw was so mild that I can't even describe it. Usually I'm ready to kill him after two or three days. I don't know what you did to keep him off my back until Gran stepped in but I'm really grateful. The time before last I went home, John and Solo pissed me off so bad that I got a hotel room in the next town because I couldn't handle it. God damn it, when the two of them get going you just want to kill something." He leaned back in his seat, impatiently pushing his bangs to the side.

"I can hardly believe how smoothly this trip went, John not included. I thought we were going to end up leaving early, or worse, that I would be leaving alone because I scared you off." Duo laughed slightly thinking back to some of the highlights of the trip. "Thank god you were there, I don't know how I would have handled it alone. Especially with all the kids running around all over the place… not that you would consider that to be a bad thing but for those of us that can't stand the little devils, it's hell." Duo made a face at the thought of all those little monsters invading his personal space.

"Thank god everyone got off my case about being gay. It's not like they need me to carry on the Maxwell name when all their wives are farting out kids like the dooms day was coming." Duo snorted, unzipping his jacket as the heat in the car finally started to spread.

"It's going to be great to get back home. No parents sleeping on the other side of the wall, no crazy sisters, no brothers dropping in unannounced. The worst thing we got back home is Precious, who is still at your grandmother's." Duo smiled happily, thinking that maybe they should forget to pick up Precious for a few days and get some peace and quiet.

"So, when are we going to pick up my kitten?" Duo asked, turning to his lover... who was fast asleep, face slack with a curtain of dark hair hanging over it.

Duo smiled fondly. He turned the radio on, humming along to the cheesy love song that came on as he drove them back home.

The End.

* * *

My god, that was it… that was the end o_o I almost can't believe it.

Now, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you take a second to tell me what you thought about the chapter/story. Please. Tell me something that you _liked_ and something you _didn't like_.

**I would like to take the moment to thank everyone who had reviewed this story. You will probably never understand how rewarding and important your words have been to me and this story. Thank you.**

I'm not writing an epilogue for this (Sorry!) but I'm going to write the side story "Duo's bad day" for EbonyOsmosis who gave me the wonderful picture that can be found on my profile page.

And yes, I'm still a whore for art of any kind, so draw me something and I'll write you more or less anything you want.

Then, when the side story is done, I'm going to bury myself in "Normal People part 2" until I have finished it. It's going to be so much fun :D

Oh, and for those who wants to read more about Wufei's kink can go to my profile page where they will find a link to my gundam-wing-universe page were all the adult stuff can be found.


	19. Duo's bad day

Duo's Bad Day

A side story for EbonyOsmosis (Sorry it took me so long babe)

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Takes place during Siren Call Of The Braid In The Middle Row

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Duo woke up to the sound of his stomach gurgling. 'Fuck no' His sleep clouded mind thought in muffled annoyance. He clumsily rolled over as he tried to ignore it, refusing to get up any earlier then he had to. His bed was warm and soft and he pulled the duvet over his head, escaping the slightly chilly air. Breathing slowly he tried to fall back asleep. Unfortunately, his stomach wouldn't let him. It growled angrily like a wild animal on the verge of eating its own legs in hunger. Duo groaned in protest, curling up tightly as if pressing himself into a ball would ease the hunger. It didn't work. The empty feeling in his stomach soon became unbearable, because the more he concentrated on ignoring it, the hungrier he got. Rolling over towards his nightstand he opened his eyes to look at his alarm clock. A clock that told him that it was seven in the evening. Duo frowned and reached for his wrist watch lying next to it.

"SHIT!" Duo threw himself off the bed. He was going to be late, and if he didn't hurry he was going to be very late! Feeling something close to panic, Duo stumbled out into the kitchen as fast as he could. He was going to have to be quick and effective if he wanted to be able to catch the next bus, that way he would only be twenty minutes late.

First in order was to get something to eat. There was no way that he could survive if he didn't.

Fumbling, he managed to get a bag of bread out of the cupboard. Quickly slapping some butter on it he bit in to it and started chewing as fast as he could without choking himself. Closing the bag, he was just about to run towards his next stop when he noticed a strange color on one of the slices. Looking closer he realized that it was green, fluffy and very distasteful. He looked down at the sandwich in his hand and saw equally green fluffy spots growing on it. His stomach made a move to get rid of what he had already swallowed as it rolled threateningly, but he forced it to stop. Spitting out the half chewed bread into the sink he looked through his cupboards in growing stress. The refrigerator was empty with the exception of a jar of olives and cooking oil and the fridge was out of question since he did not have time to cook anything. He looked down on his wristwatch, something that made his panic grow even more. Deciding that food was overrated and that he had wasted enough time he left the breakfast from hell lying on the counter as he hurried toward his wardrobe to get dressed. He had gone hungry before, it was nothing new. His stomach protested loudly but he just pulled it in to make clear who was in charge.

-_Smack_-

"FUCK! Aowaowaowaowaowaowaowaow!" Duo gripped his foot as the pain numbed all his other senses. For a second he had no idea what had happened and why he was in pain but it wasn't hard to guess. Not looking where he was going had resulted in smashing his poor toes straight in to the doorframe of his bedroom. Jumping on one foot he whimpered as he carefully inspected his toes. They must be broken, there was no way it could hurt this much and not be broken. He dropped down on the floor and pulled his foot up closer so that he could look at it. His toes were bright red, going for blue but they didn't appear to be broken. Carefully putting his foot down on the floor, he flinched when his toes made contact with the hard wooden floor. Another look at his watch got him going again and he limped as quickly as he could towards his wardrobe, only to stop short. In horror he turned back towards the living room and limped over to the couch where he found just what he had been afraid of finding.

Dumped out over the couch pillows and down on the floor was just about every piece of clothing that he owned.

"Fucking shit." He hissed and hurried over to the pile. He hadn't done his laundry in forever and had started wearing those clothes that could always be found in the back of your wardrobe. The old too big/too small clothes that you were just too lazy or too sentimental to get rid of. But when even Wufei, who was one of the most fashion ignorant people he had ever met, had given his too short 90's street pants and his paint stained Off Spring t-shirt with the faded word 'pretty fly for a white guy' on the front, a strange look, he decided to do his laundry. This had resulted in an orgy of laundry washing that had left him exhausted and in no way interested in actually hanging up his damp clothes anytime soon. Instead he had called up Tom and the two of them had spent the rest of the day playing video games, something that Duo greatly regretted now when he searched through his wrinkled, still somewhat damp clothes. Pulling on a pair of wrinkled but only slightly damp jeans and a sweater's imitation of a raisin, he hurried on.

"Books, books books." He chanted desperately to himself. He found one lying under the couch and he had a vague memory of seeing the other lying on the nightstand. Limping as fast as he could with his damaged toes he managed to find both of his books, his bag and his jacket.

He ran towards the hallway, ready to go, only to turn around to go back into the living room. Spreading the pile of clothes all around him, he managed to find two socks that didn't miss match too much. Gray almost looks like white, right?

Back in the hallway he threw his jacket on, carefully pulled on his shoes, ripped the door open and ran. Half way down the stairs he realized that he had forgotten to lock the door. Turning around again he sprinted back up again. The keys weren't on the hallway table where they should have been and they weren't on the kitchen table. Checking the couch, the bedroom floor, his desk and the hallway table again he still didn't find anything. Coming to the conclusion that if he didn't leave now, he was going to miss the last bus. He left his apartment with the slightly comforting thought that if he got robbed the thief wouldn't get all that much money out of it.

As he reached the street below, Duo looked at his watch and realized that he was going to have to travel a distance that normally took him ten minutes on five minutes. He was almost ready to give up, but the thought of showing up unprepared for their next study session and look like a lazy idiot in front of Wufei urged him on.

He hurried forward, running as fast as he dared over the traitorous ground. The day before had been pretty warm, melting a layer of snow that during the night had frozen in a rough wasteland. It was hard to get a footing on the uneven ground but Duo did his best.

The roar of a truck was his only warning before a wave of cold water washed over his legs.

"Fucking hell." He grunted, looking down at his soaking wet pants and boots. Cursing the world, Duo hurried on despite the discomfort.

Just as he came around the corner he could see that his bus had passed the stop and was now driving down the road.

"Hey!" He started to run, slapping his hand against the bus as it started to speed up.

For a second it looked like the bus was just going to keep driving when it suddenly hit the brakes and stopped.

"Th- thanks." Duo panted as he stumbled onto the bus.

"This is not a bus stop!" The middle age bus driver responded angrily. "If you want to ride the bus you wait over by the sign and you get picked up!"

Duo felt himself start shrinking under the bulging angry eyes. "I-"

"It is not my job to stop all over the place for people who can't understand this!"

"Sorr-" He started but once again got cut off.

"Think of how it would look if everyone was that self-absorbed, we would never be on time if we had to stop where people felt like getting on!"

Duo could feel the whole bus looking at them and he awkwardly shuffled his wet feet. "Bu-"

"I'm on a very tight schedule and if I'm not on time, the next bus that I'm going to be driving will be late too! Not only that but the one who is going to be driving this bus will be late since they have to wait for me to show up after stopping all over the place for people who think they own the world!"

Duo held up a finger, hoping to get a word in or perhaps magically make himself disappear.

The pissed off driver went on. "And if the next bus is late then I lose my bathroom break and I will _not_ lose my bathroom break just because some punk ass can't act like a civilized human being and follow some very simple rules! Stand by the sign!"

"May I pay please?" Duo managed to get in while the balled man took a deep breath.

The red face glared at him and the money was snatched out of his hand.

The bus took off in a sharp jerk forward as it pulled out, making Duo stumble and fall sideway into the lap of a terrified looking old woman.

"Sorry." He choked out as he managed to lift himself up... by putting his hands on her inner thighs.

The gray haired woman made a noise that resembled something a small animal would make when it was seconds away from being eaten. The surprisingly heavy handbag hit him straight in the head.

After apologizing profoundly to the scared woman, Duo hurried further into the bus, his body protesting from all the abuse it was being put through.

He quickly scanned all the seats. There was only one unoccupied left and for a second he thought about staying on his feet. Just then the bus took a tight turn, making him stumble again and he barely managing to stay on his feet.

He sat down on the empty seat.

"You have girl hair!" A small blond girl cried out, pointing a chubby finger at him.

Duo twitched in annoyance, already regretting his decision. He really hated kids and he was now surrounded by what looked like an entire kindergarten class. This day just couldn't possibly get any worse.

He glared down at the kid. "Since I'm not a girl I do not have girl hair."

The girl giggled happily, pointing at him as she started to chant "girly hair" over and over again.

Duo wanted to smack her right between the two blond piggy tails.

"My mom says that only girls have long hair." A skinny little kid next to her said like he had just delivered the words of god.

Duo sneered down on boy. "Well apparently your mom is an idiot, go figure."

The boy's lower lip started to tremble before his mouth dropped open and he let out a loud cry.

Duo shuddered unhappily at the sound. God, he really hated children.

By the time the bus finally arrived at the university, Duo was ready to drop kick the evil midgets from hell.

He could feel the burning eyes of the kindergarten teachers against his back as he got off and hurried towards the right building.

Unfortunately he had no idea where he was going since somewhere between killing his toes and trying to get dressed, he had forgotten to bring his schedule along. Feeling that this day couldn't possibly get any worse, Duo started opening random doors in the corridor where they usually had their classes, hoping that he would find the right one. The first two were empty while the third one was filled to the brim. About a hundred people turned towards him and Duo blushed as he tried to make out some familiar faces.

He didn't find any and with a burning face he mumbled an apology and stumbled back out. He continued this humiliating process until he saw Tom's face in the middle of the crowed. He hurried in with his head bowed.

The only seats that were free were on the last two rows, the rows that were lovingly nicknamed The Arctic Circle.

He shivered unhappily as the cold air hit the back of his neck. As if he wasn't cold enough already. He took the seat furthest out and clumsily kicked his boots off. His toes still hurt but the pain seemed to have lessened as they now seemed to be kind of numb. With a grimace he pulled off his socks too. They were so wet that they were dripping. Nice.

He naively hung the socks over his boots. They would not be dry by the time he left but one could hope.

Realizing that he was missing quite a lot of important information he quickly opened his bag to get his books out.

An empty page in his note book was quickly found and with the pen against the paper he looked up at the white board to write down what the lecture was about. He looked back down.

His pen wasn't working.

Son of a bitch!

He bent down to search through his bag. Why, oh why did he carry around so much junk and _why_ was none of it a much needed pen? He searched through his bag over and over again, begging 'please, please, please let there be a pen' but without result. All the while the professor droned on in the background and the power point pictures flash by.

Deciding that he was wasting his time, Duo stopped searching and was just about to sit back up to pay attention when a sharp nail sticking out from his seat suddenly scratched the side of his palm open. He hissed in pain, bringing his hand up to inspect the damage. It wasn't a big wound, but it was deep. Fuck.

Blood fell like from a tap, on his clothes, on his bag and all over his books.

In a desperate try to stop the blood flow, Duo wrapped his long scarf around his hand. It worked to a certain degree but a few drops still managed to find their way down his arm, but at least it was somewhat controlled.

He turned back to the lecturer. He had to understand this, he couldn't fall behind. He had gotten this far all on his own and he was not going to fail, he refused.

He tried to pay attention but it quickly became obvious that he had no idea what the professor was talking about. In fact, he couldn't even find the subject in his books.

He had brought the wrong books.

Duo let his head fall forward onto his blood stained note book. Cold, hurt and depressed, Duo stayed in that position until the professor announced a fifteen minute break.

He had no idea how he was going to fix this mess. It was overwhelming how badly this day was going. Duo just wanted to sink through the floor and never return. He didn't want to think about how badly he had screwed up, how impossible it felt to try to read up on the subject at home and how humiliating it would be to show up at the study group and not have any idea what they were working on. To have to rely on others to get him through it. Unacceptable. He had to manage on his own.

Duo sighed deeply. He needed coffee for this, he really did.

He searched through his pockets, then his bag, then his pockets again. He couldn't find his wallet, just a couple of coins that were far from what the cafeteria demanded for their version of coffee.

Duo groaned, hiding his face in his good hand. Things just could not get much worse. Maybe he should just go home. But at the same time, he was unbelievably scared of falling behind; he didn't know if he would be able to keep up if he did. The thought of having to go to the next family reunion as a drop-out made cold sweat run down his back.

But right now… he just didn't know how he was supposed to pull himself together and fix this. It felt hopeless and he just wanted this horrible bad day to be over.

"Hey."

Duo looked up at the sound of that careful voice. Wufei was giving him a soft look from where he was holding out a paper cup with steaming coffee.

It felt like the sun had suddenly broken through the rain clouds in a blinding ray of light.

Duo gratefully accepted it with a relived sigh. "Thanks, I'm… kind of having a bad day."

"Oh." Wufei shuffled his feet slightly. "May I sit down?"

Duo suddenly noticed the full backpack hanging over his friends shoulder as he realized that Wufei meant to stay in the cold with him. His heart made a strange double beat. Wufei really was too nice for his own good and he was man enough to admit that he took shameless advantage of that whenever he could. He nodded quickly and collected all his things against his chest as he moved over to the next seat.

A soft thump was heard and Wufei looked down.

Duo realized that he had totally forgotten about his bare feet and the shoes standing in front of his former seat. He gave Wufei an embarrassed look under his eyelashes. "Sorry, my feet got wet on the way here." He mumbled and reached over to snatch away his damp boots and his wet, mismatching socks.

Wufei gave his wrapped hand a look. "What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, there is a sharp nail on the edge of that seat, be careful so you don't hurt yourself."

Wufei glanced down at the nail with a frown. "Let me see." He said, motioning him to give him his hand. Duo hesitated for a moment before reaching his hand over.

Wufei carefully unwrapped the scarf. The wound was not bleeding as much as before but it had started to swell and looked very unpleasant.

"Come on, we should go clean it up." Wufei said as he started searching through his bag, finding a plastic bag in the bottom with what looked like bandages.

Duo instinctively re-wrapped his hand and pulled it back to hide it in his lap. "Nah, it's fine." He really hated it when people fussed over him and he didn't want Wufei to have to feel like he had to take care of him.

"You have dried blood all the way down your arm and your hand wrapped in a scarf, we are cleaning it." Wufei stated as he got to his feet. "We don't have much time, now come on."

Duo shrunk back. "Thanks but-"

"Now Duo."

There was something with the tone of his voice that made Duo's mouth close with a click and without further complaints he followed his friend down the stairs and out of the lecture hall. Further down the corridor there were a row of bathroom doors and Wufei more or less pulled him through the first one.

Duo felt a very inappropriate spike of arousal go through him as Wufei locked the door behind them. A closed space with an attractive guy who's whole attention was fully focused on him. Or more exactly his hand but Duo's imagination easily moved that focus to his cock

Wufei was once again unwrapping the scarf and with a firm grip around his wrist he pulled him along to the sink.

Duo just watched as Wufei gently cleaned him up and fastened a very professional looking wrapping around his hand.

"You're pretty good at this."

"Lot of experience" Wufei mumbled as he fastened the bandage and put the scraps back into the plastic bag. "We should go back"

Duo followed without a word.

It felt very strange to be led around like this. He took care of himself no matter what, but Wufei obviously didn't care as he took charge. Wufei pointed out for him to sit with one seat between them before he wrapped the bloodstained scarf around his neck, pushed a knitted hat over his head, placed his own jacket in Duo's lap and then he even went so far as to pull Duo's boots off. But for some reason, Duo couldn't bring himself to protest. He knew that if it had been his mother or any of his other friends doing this then he would have thrown a fit.

"Your feet are freezing." Wufei grumbled and lifted them up in his lap to wrap his warm hands around his feet.

Duo stared in surprise but he didn't protest. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he busied himself with his worthless book and the notes on the white board that made no sense at all to him.

A plastic noise made him look over and he came face to face with an open box of cookies.

"Want one?

Duo had an offer of a blowjob on the tip of his tongue as his neglected stomach made itself known again at the sweet smell, but he held it back. He was not going to let his big mouth ruin his friendship with Wufei, no way. Instead he nodded eagerly and took a cookie. It was soft and sweet as it crumbled in his mouth.

"So what happened today?"

Like a dam bursting, Duo told him all about his miserable excuse for a day. Wufei just nodded, looking at him in sympathy as he rubbed his feet.

Duo suddenly felt a lot better. A _lot_ better.

A few minutes later the last people came strolling back in. Duo meet Tom's eyes and his friend leered as he looked from Wufei to him and back to Wufei. Duo just glared.

The powerpoint came back to life and the professor started up again. It made just as much sense as before. "I have no idea what he's talking about." Duo whispered the confession as he leaned over towards Wufei

"Don't worry, I'll explain it to you later. Don't bother trying to understand what he's talking about, he's using a theory that he explained in the beginning." Wufei said kindly as he glanced up from his note book.

"Okay." Duo sighed in relief and leaned sideways into his seat, his feet still resting in Wufei's lap. They were warm by now but he really didn't feel like telling Wufei that. Instead he looked at his friend over the rim of his mug as the other effectively wrote down the lecturer's words. The other man sure was pretty to look at. Soft lines, beautifully shaped lips and then there was the eyes, damn, don't get him started on the eyes.

Duo was fully aware that he was developing a crush on his quiet friend, even if it was a very, very bad idea.

Wufei was pretty far out of his league. Sure, Duo had dated good looking people before, hell he had even dated a Mr. December there for a while. But none of his exes came even close when it came to personality. Wufei was kind, thoughtful, smart and when he gave Duo one of those looks like he couldn't believe Duo was talking to him, then the urge to do –_anything_- to make him smile was overwhelming.

It was odd to be attracted to someone who in turn showed small signs of interest and then not do anything about it.

Duo stretched his feet out, making his still tender toes brush against Wufei's stomach. He made sure that he looked innocent with his eyes on the front of the lecture hall when Wufei jumped. He hid a smile behind his lukewarm coffee. He knew that this qualified as teasing, perhaps even flirting and that he shouldn't be doing it, but some things were just too hard to resist. Wufei was fretting slightly and Duo resisted the urge to push his heals off Wufei's thigh and in between his legs so that he could feel if Wufei was getting aroused.

God, he was such a slut.

Nibbling on what was left of his cookie he waited until Wufei had settled down again. He figured that he should be nice to Wufei, especially since after making what started out as such a bad day into something that was a lot more enjoyable. The cookies were nice too.

Duo reached to take another one out of the plastic box on the seat between them. The movement made Wufei look over and their eyes meet. Duo paused with the cookie halfway to his mouth only to change its direction to offer it to Wufei. Wufei gave the cookie a perplexed look before a shy smile took over and he accepted the offering before quickly turning back to his notes.

God, that was just adorable. This was where Duo was starting to question his decision to not take a chance on Wufei. Because, while Wufei was a great friend, he was also attractive as hell. And Duo was horny. He wasn't used to holding back and he was far too blunt to manage it. 'Want to have sex with me?' was on the tip of his tongue more and more often now days, but so far he had managed to hold it back.

Wufei's knitted sweater was soft against his toes and he couldn't help but wiggle them just a little bit. Wufei seemed to shiver before shifting slightly.

The sexual tension was most likely one sided but it still made Duo's breath catch.

It was times like this when Duo couldn't quite make out if Wufei was gay and attracted to him or just a very private person who was easily embarrassed. Tom liked to tease him about how Wufei was checking out his ass but Duo wasn't really convinced.

But it didn't matter either way because he wasn't going to make a move on Wufei, that much he had already decided. He enjoyed Wufei's company far too much to jeopardize it just for a tumble that would eventually break his heart.

Wufei glanced up at him before his eyes went down to his notes again as soon as their eyes meet.

Duo sighed quietly. Yeah, Wufei would be a heartbreaker for sure. Duo could see himself falling senselessly for those eyes.

He halfheartedly played with the thought of actually asking Wufei out. Maybe he could date Wufei and it wouldn't be a disaster? At least not at first. Or maybe they could go back to being friends afterwards? That could work, right?

Duo had old boyfriends who he was still on friendly terms with. Their interaction might be a bit tense from time to time but there were no bad feelings between them. Maybe he could have that with Wufei?

Duo licked the last crumbs off his fingers as he watched Wufei nibble his own cookie while his free hand was writing almost as fast as the lecturer were talking.

Naw, it wouldn't be worth it. It didn't matter how nice Wufei was and how inviting that body was under those shapeless clothes. It didn't matter that Duo wanted to push that loose hair in behind his ear and softly kiss his cheek, it didn't matter that he really wanted to spend every waking moment with him. And it certainly didn't matter that Duo _really_ wanted to push Wufei down over the backrests of the row in front of them and shove his cock up his ass. It had no meaning what so ever.

But it was probably just as well that they didn't try. He would probably overwhelm Wufei, especially if he had never been with another man before. Wufei was most likely as vanilla as they came, without a kinky bone in his body.

Wufei had probably lost his virginity to the girl next door. He could just imagine it. Wufei dating a nice pretty girl for months before they slept together, flowers and sweet words all around.

Not like him. Fifteen, drunk almost to the point of losing consciousness with his pants down to his knees, bent over a rusty tractor out in an old barn. He had been fucked raw by a guy whose name he couldn't remember and never saw again. It was pure luck that all he had to endure afterwards were anal tears and not AIDS. Wufei would probably never even dream of finding himself in a situation like that.

Duo took another sip of his cooling coffee as he watched Wufei from the corner of his eye. His friend had filled yet another page with pink notes and didn't appear to have any problems understanding what the lecturer was talking about. He looked really handsome when he was this focused and Duo wanted to lean over and suck his fingers into his mouth.

Duo pushed his inner slut down before his thoughts got out of hand.

Wufei probably hadn't had many lovers, one or two at the most. He had a shy, awkward feeling about him, like he didn't know how to interact with people. Not that it mattered, because above that he was caring and decent, a nice guy all around. Someone who married their childhood sweetheart, moved into a nice house in a nice area and had a lot of nice well-behaved children. He was not the kind of guy who settled for a worn out partygoer with a jealousy problem and far too many ex-lovers. Especially not a male one.

Wufei might be nice but he wouldn't be nice enough to handle Duo when he went on one of his obsessive jealousy runs or when he got insecure and started to cling. No, Wufei wouldn't be able to hold his patience with him then. No one could. He didn't know how Wufei was when he lost his patience but Duo wasn't all that keen on finding out. And if they started dating then he was undoubtedly going to learn how.

He glanced over at his friend. His fingers itched to push the curtain of hair in behind a delicate ear.

Wufei was a mix of contrasts. He was nice and cooperative but at the same time so stubborn that you could build a fucking wall of it. His hands were soft and slim but a lot stronger then they looked. Duo knew. He had once tried to grab Wufei's wallet out of his hand when he had tried to stop his friend from paying both their lunches for the third day in the row. He had failed terribly. He had played it off as he had humored Wufei but the truth was that had not been able to make the wallet budge between Wufei's fingers.

It just proved that while Wufei might look like a fragile push over, he was far from it.

Duo tried to follow the lecture but gave up when he couldn't concentrate on the words. Instead he took another cookie and put all his faith in his friend to help him through this horrible excuse of a day. He found himself staring at Wufei; he was a lot more interesting than economical research theories.

Wufei had three birthmarks on his face that took the shape of a triangle. Duo wanted to play connect the dots with this tongue. From the one by his ear, to the one on his cheek to the one right underneath his eye and then back again.

He took another cookie, wishing that Wufei would wear his hair up for once so that he could watch those birthmarks undisturbed. Wufei was so nice to look at and it annoyed him that he constantly had to watch that pretty face through that hair.

The only time that hair should be let free was during sex. His inner slut made another appearance as he imagined that long black hair swaying as Duo fucked him hard from behind.

The sound of people getting out of their chairs and packing up their things brought his attention back from a very nice fantasy where he had Wufei chanting his name in ecstasy.

"You okay?" Wufei asked as he closed his note book.

"Yeah, of course." Duo mumbled as he quickly snatched his feet away from Wufei's lap. He still had Wufei's jacket over his lap and he let it stay there as he took his time to pull on his wet socks and boots. Just in case.

Wufei was packing up his things and got up on his feet. "I'll give you a copy of my notes tomorrow." He said as he lifted his backpack up on his shoulder.

Duo really wasn't ready to part from Wufei just yet. Desperately he tried to think of a reason not to. His stomach decided to come to his rescue as it growled. Duo was very grateful for the excuse.

"You want to grab some lunch?" He asked hopefully.

Wufei gave hesitant look. "I have work today."

Duo didn't give up "But you don't have to be there just yet, do you?"

"Well no…"

Duo felt like he was being a pest by forcing himself on Wufei but he was just _not_ ready to leave him. "We can grab something to eat on the way."

Wufei smiled gently. "Okay."

Duo smiled back. This was probably as close to a date that he would ever get with Wufei and he was going to enjoy it.

His friend would never know how much it meant to him or how much he had saved him from this horribly bad day.

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A/N

There will be another side story in the future, this one in Wufei's POV. Just remember that I'm an art whore and easily tricked into writing just about anything ;)

Sorry for not answering all the lovely review but ff keep flashing the error page when every I try to read them :(

You can all thank my boyfriend for this update. I didn't think I was going to have time to update but since the boyfriend in question came home drunk and are now snoring my ears off at three in the morning I have suddenly found the time to update. I would have slept on the couch if it wasn't for the fact that it's been claimed by another drunk guy. So now I suddenly have over three hours to not only update but to do some writing before going to work. Bitter? Who me? ;)


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